Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Odin Sphere
by X the Reaper
Summary: "Death cannot be avoided, but fate can be redirected." When a dark knight fails to achieve his destiny and seemingly perishes, he will find his new life tied to a certain white-clad magical girl as they face great trials and gain new friends and enemies. What will come of this unlikely meeting of two persons? What difference can a Knight of Shadows make to a White Devil's life?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everybody! This is X the Reaper, having found inspiration to write a new story! This story's been wandering around my mind for a long while, so I'm gonna give it a shot at bringing it life! (Damn, this is becoming a thing, isn't it?)**

**Now, I know I should be working on my Fate story and/or my Sayaka story, but this little idea predates even those two! I came up with it roughly around the same time I started writing ****Fate: OSG****, during the flashback portions of the chapters. I was struck by how interesting a character Edgar Silverstein (aka: Oswald the Shadow Knight) was, and how much potential he had as a developing character rather than an already developed one. So, in honor of this, I decided to write a story taking the basic idea behind the flashbacks and turn it into a full-length story...but not in the Fate universe.**

**No, our favorite Knight of Shadows will be heading to different world of magic to hone his skills and potentially find a new reason to live. And because of my research into Puella Magi Madoka Magica, I stumbled upon another well-known Magical Girl anime that I felt the warrior would feel right at home in.**

**One with a certain girl with giant laser beams and befriends people in the most awesome way possible.**

**(Fun Fact: This was originally going to be a sorta-sequel to Fate: Stay Nightmare, but I decided to go with the direction I did here, so I suppose one could consider this an AU. And while knowledge of my Fate stories is not at all necessary to understand the events of this fic, I'd recommend them if only for a good read.)**

**Disclaimer: Odin Sphere and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha are property of Vanillaware and Altus, and Masaki Tsuzuki and Seven Arcs respectively.**

**I hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em>Tell me, have you ever heard the tale of Erion?<em>

_Long ago, there was once a great land that surrounded a massive body of water. It was comprised of eight regions: Ragnanival, the northern icy region that was home to the Berserkers and Valkyries, ruled by Demon Lord Odin; the forests of Elrit to the northeast, which was unruled and belongs to the native wildlife; Titania to the south of that, the domain of humans and ruled by King Edmund; the Volkenon Lava Pits further south of that, home to the Vulcan race and ruled by the immortal Inferno King Onyx; the Ringford forest of Fairies to the west, ruled by Fairy Queen Elfaria; the ruins of the Kingdom of Valentine further west, the only inhabitants that now dwelled there being the Pooka living underground; Winterhorn Ridge even further west, which was the home of the remnants of the Dragon race; and finally the Netherworld Endelphia, land of the dead, to the northwest, ruled by Queen Odette._

_In this world of ancient world, magic flowed freely, and all manner of exotic races traded, lived and fought one another. Greatest among their weapons were the Psyphers, arms forged from crystals created by the very essence of life itself. For control of the crystals, Ragnanival and Ringford fought many battles to gain control of the most abundant source, found in the ruins of Valentine, its creator._

_But always over all hung a prophecy: The Erion Saga, the psalms that foretold the coming of Armageddon and the destruction of all the old world, with the faintest hope of the new being salvageable. They foretold of five great disasters that would doom Erion and their counters:_

_The Beast of Darkness, Darkova, born of the blood of Valentine and to be slain by the inhuman child of Titania._

_The King of the Netherworld, King Gallon, the former King of Titania who wrote the psalms in the first place and to die by the hand of his own blood, blessed with shadow of the power of Queen Odette._

_The Inferno King Onyx himself, who deemed himself invincible as his destroyer was to be the World Tree, which did not exist in any form._

_The Crystallization __Cauldron that produced the Psyphers, which could not be stopped by sword or spear, but only chained._

_And lastly Leventhan, last and strongest of the Dragon race, who would meet his end by that of the mother of the new world._

_At last, Armageddon happened and Erion perished. But five warriors, both aware and unaware of the others and wielding five of the most powerful Psyphers in existence, rose up and challenged their world's fate._

_Gwendolyn, the second Valkyrie princess of Ragnanival._

_Cornelius, the cursed crown prince of Titania._

_Mercedes, the unprepared and inexperienced Fairy Queen of Ringford._

_Velvet, the princess of the fallen kingdom of Valentine._

_And lastly Oswald, the Shadow Knight of Ringford._

_They fought the five disasters and won, and while one ultimately died to win their battles, they succeeded in restoring the world to life with the very Psypher blades that took so many._

_...However, that was but one possibility. There are many other ways that story could and would end, most ending in far more destruction and terror, but there are some that brought an entirely new direction to things. Some that even ended sadly ultimately would prove to pave the way to a far more happier outcome, even for some not at all related to the original story.  
><em>

_Shall we see down one such path? One where one of the heroes that wasn't meant to die did so in battle, and would eventually lead to another finding a new destiny?_

_Then come. Let us look through the Kaleidoscope and see what could be, would be, should be and is different for one of those chosen heroes, and how it impacted those who never would have met otherwise..._

* * *

><p><strong><em>Uminari City (0065, Mid-Childan Calendar)<em>**

How much difference do a few choices make in the long run?

What difference is there between sleeping in for one extra hour? Finishing a job early? Sparing the life of one more person on the battlefield? Buying that last cup of coffee? Writing a sequel to a controversial book? One more voice at a rally for equal rights?

In the end, those sort of questions can't be answered effectively, for to do so and know the answer would require having to relive the exact same circumstances that brought the choice about the first the exact same way in the exact same state of mind. The 'what-ifs' must become potential outcomes, the consequences of the actions made hazy once again.

Still, for a young silver-haired man in his early twenties or so, walking along the sidewalk path, such thoughts flittered through his head with lazy and semi-serious thought. Dressed in a pinstripe black suit with tie and red undershirt, he cut a surprisingly handsome figure as he strolled casually down the road, hands in his pocket as he whistled a tune to himself.

It was a bright and sunny day with birdsong and clear skies. Why on Earth such thoughts struck him as he continued in his little journey were known to none but himself, and in the end he dismissed them as quickly as they had come, finally having arrived at his destination.

Said destination? Uminari Elementary School.

And speak of the devil, he arrived at the entrance just in time for final bell of the day to ring.

He waited patiently as the tide of boys and girls passed about him like a wave, leaving him as a beacon in the sea of eager schoolchildren. Several gave him polite greetings which he returned with smiles and his own quiet ones, but he otherwise stood silently for his charges to appear.

'What's taking those three so long?' he thought idly to himself, glancing down at the watch on his wrist. 'They're usually out about now-'

"Hey, Oswald-san!"

'Well, never mind then.'

Turning his attention back outwards, he watched as three young girls, each about nine years old, walked out of the school towards him. One was a girl with green eyes and long yellow hair styled into twin pigtails, another with blue eyes and long purple hair, and the last also with blue, almost indigo eyes, but with orangish-brown hair tied into pigtails as well. All of their faces brightened when they caught sight of him, quickly rushing towards his location.

"Uncle Oswald!" the orange-haired one yelled when she got close enough, stopping just in front of him with a big smile on her face. "You're here already!"

He offered them his own small smile. "Hey there, Nanoha," he told her, then looked up at the blond and violenette. "Arisa, Suzuka."

"Hello, sir," Arisa Bannings greeted with a smile.

"Thank you for coming by," Suzuka Tsukimura added.

"No problems," he replied, then looked at Nanoha. "Your father noticed I wasn't doing anything this afternoon aside from sparring with your siblings, so he asked me to go and see you three to your cram school classes before then. Being a good friend, I couldn't just refuse."

"You always do what my father and mother asks you," Nanoha said still with her smile. "You'd probably jump in a volcano if they asked nicely enough."

He gave her a mock look of surprise. "What? And leave my favorite honorary niece all alone?" he asked before ruffling her hair. "Not a chance."

"U-Uncle, stop th-that!" she said with some annoyance, her hair frizzling everywhere at his touch. "We still have p-places to be!"

Her friends just chuckled at the sight.

* * *

><p>"So Arisa," Oswald asked as the quartet walked down the usual brown path to the girl's cram school, the sunset bathing everything a beautiful gold. "What exactly do you want to be when you grow up?"<p>

"Huh?" the blond asked in confusion, looking back at him.

"I mean, Nanoha told me that your class was supposed to write an essay about what you want to be when you grow up. What did you decide on?"

"Oh," Arisa realized, then shrugged. "Well, I'll probably go into the family business and succeed my parents as company manager."

"And I'm thinking about becoming an engineer," Suzuka added. "I like machines, so I think I could do pretty good in that sort of work."

"Hmm," Oswald mused. "Not bad at all. Having goals this young means you'll be even more ready for when opportunities come about."

"...Yeah," Nanoha muttered, her voice growing melancholy. "Must be nice to know what you already want to be..."

Arisa looked over at her friend. "Not this again!" she explosively sighed. "Nanoha, just because you don't know what you want to do yet doesn't mean it's the end of the world! You've still got plenty of time to find your calling."

Oswald looked at Suzuka. "Has she been like this all day?" he asked.

Suzuka sighed. "Since lunch, I'd say. This is the second time we've had this conversation."

'Darn, Nanoha's been more stressed out than I thought.' Looking over at his 'niece', he tried to pitch in his own two cents. "Hey, Arisa's right, Nanoha," he told her. "You've got lots of time. I mean, there's always the Midori-ya if all else fails, right?"

For some reason, Nanoha's mood seemed to sink a little more. "Yeah, but I don't want to burden my own parents like that," she replied. "Living with them even once I've reached my forties like a no-good layabout..."

Oswald sweatdropped. 'Damn, even after four years I'm still screwing up this badly at comforting?' he wondered to himself. "Uh, I meant-"

"What your uncle meant," Suzuka said, coming to his rescue, "is that you shouldn't be looking down on yourself like this. You have some of the best grades among us, especially in math, decent at sports, and you taught him all about how to properly use a phone and electronics. I'm sure there's something out there waiting just for you."

Nanoha's head rose slightly as some of her previous gloom left. "Thanks..." she said shyly.

Meanwhile, Arisa stopped near a branching off path, which cut through the park. "Hey, stop for a second," she suddenly said.

"Something wrong?" Oswald asked her. She pointed down the path.

"Let's go this way," she said. "It's a shortcut right through the middle of the city. We'll be there in no time!"

"Are you sure?" Suzuka asked, giving it a pensive glance.

"Yeah!" Arisa responded. "The path's a little rough, but we'll be fine."

"...Doesn't look too bad," Oswald admitted. "Besides, if anything happens I'm sure I can protect you all."

Nanoha laughed a little. "Being a 'hero' again, Uncle?" she asked him.

"I can certainly play the part," he replied, though the words struck a slight cord in him. 'Even if I couldn't do the same for her...'_  
><em>

So prepared, the four entered the wooded path. As Arisa said, it was a little rough but nothing major, and there was still more than enough sunlight to see things even so shadowed as they were. Even so, Oswald found himself about seven feet behind the group, his eyes scanning those recesses frequently, body ready at a moment's notice to act.

A part of him ridiculed himself for that. 'Nothing's going to happen,' he thought chiddingly. 'Nothing _has_ happened for the past four years. Why should today be any different?'

Suddenly, he was aware of the fact one of the girls had started to lag behind.

Nanoha was now behind her friends but still just a little ways in front of himself, standing in the middle of the path with her head twisted towards some area away it, as if aware of something no one else was.

"Hey, did you hear that?" she suddenly asked, coming to a definite stop. Everyone else also stopped and looked at her.

"Huh?" Suzuka asked.

"Hear what?" Oswald added, turning his head in the same direction she had, only to jolt when he realized that Nanoha had suddenly bolted off the path. "Wait! Nanoha!"

Nanoha was fast for a girl her age, but Oswald had reflexes far faster than a normal grown man, and quickly recovered to cover the distance in a heartbeat, grabbing her wrist firmly but not harshly.

"Mind telling me where you were running off to?" he asked, sparing a glance backwards to see the other girls hurrying to catch up. While that usually wouldn't be a problem to cover the distance, they were both a little more mindful of their uniform's cleanliness than the brunette. It was a side of Alisa that Oswald was honestly surprised to know existed, but he supposed being a heiress to a successful company leaves some impression on you.

"I thought I heard someone calling for help," Nanoha answered without looking at him, scanning for any sign of the supposed 'help-wanted' victim. Suddenly, she pointed. "It came from over there!"

He looked for himself. All he saw was more foliage, and he could hear no call for help.

"You're sure?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes!" she replied. "We need to hurry!"

He could hear the iron determination in her voice that showed she had set her mind to something. It was something he never ceased to be amazed about in the little girl, whose gaze could force even a hardened fighter to back down. And yes, he spoke from experience.

"...Alright then," he relented. "I'll follow your judgement." Letting her go, he gestured for the other two, watching from a little ways off, to follow. They nodded slowly and started moving while he followed Nanoha, keeping an eye on her to make sure she didn't trip or fall on anything.

Surprisingly enough, the girl was able to move without any such difficulty, only in danger of stumbling once before recovering her balance. Finally, he noticed what appeared to be a clearing coming up.

"There?" he asked.

She just nodded, then redoubled her efforts. Before long they were both in the area, looking for anyone in distress. Good news and bad news: There was no sign of any such thing because there was no one in the glade aside from them.

"Umm, Nanoha?" he finally said. "There's no one here."

Nanoha looked around confused. "But I thought I-ah!" she yelped, catching his attention. Turning, he watched as she ran towards a part near the center of the clearing where there was mostly dirt, kneeling down. "Over here!"

Oswald followed and saw what she had seen. It was a yellow and furry animal of some sort, dirtied and looking like it had been attacked by something. Oswald couldn't find any sign of an injury despite some dried blood on its form, but it seemed to definitely be in pain if the way it was slowly panting and had its eyes shut meant anything.

"Nanoha, move back for a second." He told her. She did so, and he took off his jacket and knelt down next to the mammal, whose ears twitched slightly at the sound and looked up at him weakly before dropping back to the ground.

"I'm gonna wrap this around him," he told the waiting girl. "Make sure he doesn't bolt or anything."

She nodded and he quickly wrapped the black cloth around the mammal, taking care not to aggravate any injuries it might still have. Still, the mammal shifted slightly as the cloth came into contact, and Oswald thought he caught sight of something red-

"Mou. Nanoha, Oswald-san, could you two please slow down?"

The sound of the other girls approaching shook him from his thoughts, instead causing him to turn around to see them rushing to where he and Nanoha were.

"What's wrong?" Suzuka asked, noticing that he had taken his suit off. "Is someone-"

"Just some sort of little animal," he replied, holding it out for the girls to see. And all of them, Nanoha included as the immediate crisis had seemingly passed, started to coo over how cute it was.

"Ahh, it's hurt! We need to take it to a hospital!" Arisa cried out frantically once the cuteness overload managed to fizzle out of her brain sufficiently.

"Um, that's a ferret," Suzuka corrected. "I think you're referring to a veterinarian."

"I think there's a vet somewhere around here!" Nanoha supplied. "I think it's this way!"

"Lead on, Nanoha," Oswald said, shifting the bundle in his arms to a more comfortable position. "We're right behind you."

Quickly, the quartet made another detour from their original destination in favor of getting treatment for the random little critter they had found.

'Rescuing ferrets,' Oswald thought to himself wryly. 'Truly my life has changed quite a bit.'

* * *

><p>"Again!"<p>

The clash of wood rang out once more as Oswald slammed his suburitō against Kyoya Takamachi's, Nanoha's older brother, own. With a twist, he disengaged and swung for the teen's side, watching with satisfaction as he managed to block it.**  
><strong>

"You're improving," Oswald noted with some pride, a small smile on his face. "It would appear my teachings are finally taking effect."

Kyoya panted slightly, sweat on his brow as a grin split his own face. "Four years of utter beatings tend to do that," he replied. "Not to mention using a sword completely different from what's expected."

Oswald didn't reply, suddenly pulling back and swinging for his opponent's head. Kyoya tried to block it, but realized too late it was but a feint; Oswald's true strike came as a jab to the ribs, followed by another side blow and ending with a rap on the knuckles, forcing Kyoya to let go of his weapon.

"Any real opponent won't be fighting by the book," Oswald chided as he leveled his blade to the teen's neck. "You must always be on guard for decep-"

Suddenly, Kyoya lunged forward, using the momentary surprise to force the sword out of the way and throw a punch straight at Oswald's face. It was stopped but an inch or so from it, Oswald's free hand like a vise around Kyoya's wrist.

Despite this, Kyoya just smiled as he panted. "Getting closer..."

Oswald gave it a glance, and offered a smirk of his own. "You're definitely getting better and better at thinking outside the box," he admitted. "I might have to move to a sword I actually know how to properly use before long." He let go. "I'd say that's enough for the day though."

Oswald was honestly still surprised he was helping Kyoya and his sister Miyuki with their kendo training. While he knew the essential basics of the art by studying it in books and watching others, he had never used it in practice himself, preferring his...own brand of swordsmanship. Still, after an incident when he casually mentioned he could use a sword adequately, the pair hadn't stop asking him to show them. Eventually, he gave in and now he found himself as a sort of 'training-bag' for their progress.

Of course, he was the sort of training bag that could hit back and leave them nursing bruises far more often and numerous than himself, but hey, 'no pain, no gain' as the saying goes. At least it kept him in shape, and they were definitely improving.

He sighed, scratching his head. Still, he just hadn't felt into this practice today. His mind had occasionally wandered elsewhere, specifically the ferret he and the girls had found earlier today.

When they had arrived at the clinic to get the little critter treatment, it had only moved when the vet had tried to touch some sort of gem around its neck, which only then did he realize must have been that red thing he saw earlier, and it had shrunk back defensively like it expected a fight. Then it scanned the occupants of the room like it was trying to see if they were threats, seemingly flinching when it saw him, before it had settled on Nanoha. Heck, it even gave her finger a little lick when she presented the digit towards it like a peace offering before going to sleep, body coiled around the gem.

'Wonder what's so special about that gem?' he wondered idly. 'In fact, I still want to know how Nanoha apparently heard it 'call' for help-'

"Something on your mind, Uncle?" Kyoya asked him curiously. "You see a little out of it."

He shook his head and looked back at the teen. "Nothing," he replied with a sigh, then gave him a slightly cross look. "And please don't call me 'Uncle'. It's weird when you hear someone only a few years younger than yourself saying that."

Kyoya let out a snort of amusement. "You let Nanoha say it."

"Nanoha's young enough that I don't feel too uncomfortable," Oswald replied. "That was just a nickname your dad saddled me with, nothing more."

Kyoya shrugged. "Whatever you say. Still doesn't change the fact you're part of our family."

Oswald resisted the urge to sigh. Not this again. "I'm not really part of this family, you know that. Even despite everything I owe you all, I never was and probably never will be a part of this."

Kyoya seemed a little down at his words, turning away with a sigh. "You're still going on about that?" he muttered underneath his breath, so softly Oswald barely caught his words. "You _are_ family now in our eyes. We might as well call you something to show that."

Oswald had no answer to that, just watching as the teen walked out. He just kept staring even as the dojo door closed.

"...I know..." Oswald muttered to no one in particular. "But...why can't I still accept that fact for real though?"

* * *

><p>He was still there when Nanoha found him after she got back from cram school, just staring off into space. Her previous good mood immediately evaporated at the sight of him, replaced with sadness at the empty look on his face.<p>

"Uncle?" she asked quietly. "Are you alright?"

He turned his head to look at her. "Oh," he grunted. "Hello Nanoha. How was cram school?"

"It was okay," Nanoha replied, deciding not to mention how she had spent a good deal of time doodling. "Why are you here all by yourself?" she asked. "Weren't you practicing with nii-san?"

He nodded his head. "Yeah. He did pretty well today. Why?"

"Well..." Nanoha said slowly, "No one's seen you since...and it's almost time to eat supper."

Oswald blinked as if just realizing the time. "Wow, really?" he asked, checking his watch. "Darn, you're right. Thank you, Nanoha."

He started to walk towards her, but slowed when he realized she was still standing there looking at him. "Something else, Nanoha?"

"You haven't been alone like this for awhile, Uncle," she replied. "Did Kyoya say something by accident?"

Oswald hesitated. It was just for a second, but it told Nanoha all she needed to know. "No, of course not," he answered. "I just wanted a moment of peace."

"You're a bad liar, Uncle," she deadpanned at him. "He talked about us being family, didn't he?"

Oswald looked away. "Can we please talk about this later?" he asked her, trying to divert her attention away. "We shouldn't keep the others waiting-"

"Uncle, be honest," she replied, her usually kind voice filled with the steel of determination. "This is about that, isn't it?"

Oswald gave her a stare with his red eyes, which she answered with her own blue ones. Dragons would have relieved themselves from the intensity of the forces being unleashed between them, enough to pulverize the very wooden building they stood in.

However, it was the adult who gave in, sighing. He had never managed to win a match with her yet. "Yes," he told her.

Nanoha dropped her glare, instead giving him a confused look. "Why?"

"Because..." Here, he hesitated, then continued. "You know why. I don't want to-"

Nanoha just sighed, walking up to him and then suddenly hugging his waist, surprising and interrupting him. "No you won't," she replied. "You have Father, Mother, Miyuki, Kyoya and me. We'll always be there, just like I told you before. We're not going anywhere."

"Nanoha..."

"You're not alone, Uncle," she told him again. "You just need to let us in and tell us what's wrong."

Oswald stared down at her, then just sighed, feeling his spirits rise just a little bit. "You know, did I ever tell how weird it feels to know that your closest friend is a little girl who angsts about what she's gonna be when she grows up?"

"You're one of my closest ones too, remember?" she reminded him. "You've always listened when I needed you to, always there when everyone else has someone else to talk to..."_  
><em>

He found himself holding in a laugh. "Maybe you should try for being a therapist," he suggested. "You've certainly got the 'understanding people' part down."

Nanoha found herself smiling also, noticing the return of cheeriness to his voice. "Maybe..." Suddenly, she remembered something. "Oh! There's something I need to ask you!"

"Anything for my favorite 'niece'," he replied, the use of his nickname for her proof he was safely out of his moody mode. Nanoha pressed the matter.

"Do you remember the ferret we found this afternoon?"

Oswald tilted his head. "Yeah. What about it?"

She looked away embarrassed. "I was just thinking...no, it's stupid..."

"Hey hey hey," he said, stopping her. "C'mon, you can tell me. What about the ferret?"

She looked up at him, scratching the back of her head with her left hand. "Well...I was thinking-"

* * *

><p>"-can I keep him?" she finished asking her father as the Takamachi family plus Oswald sat around the dinner table. "I'll be sure to keep him clean and everything!"<p>

Oswald just watched with a slight smile as everyone else put out their opinions while old Shirō tried to make sense of learning about an entirely new animal he had never knew existed 'till today. He looked about the table as he dug into his meal of soup and meat, giving Kyoya a slight look of apology for his actions earlier. Thankfully, he noticed and gave him a smile that told him all was forgiven.

"I don't see a problem with it," Nanoha's mother Momoko said. "As long as you intend to look after it properly: Feed it, clean its cage, all of that."

Nanoha nodded. "Of course! Uncle Oswald even promised to help!"

Oswald nearly choked on his meat. "Wh-What?" he asked.

Shirō gave him a surprised look. "Well Oswald, didn't take you for the animal type. You up for that?"

"I..."

Oswald stopped and noticed Nanoha giving him the puppy-dog look. Damn his weak will, but he couldn't say no to it.

"I...suppose there's...nothing wrong with...trying."

Momoko smiled knowingly, having noticed Nanoha's blackmail trick. "Well, then it's settled!"

Nanoha smiled brightly in victory, while Oswald just shook his head.

* * *

><p>The room that Oswald called his own was rather Spartan, all things considered. Aside from a bed, a shelf filled with various books on different subjects like history and science, a desk and chair, and finally a dresser for clothes, the room was bare of almost any decoration. On said bed, Oswald sat on his back, hands behind his head and dressed in a white T-shirt and dark sweat pants, staring up at the ceiling. His thoughts were currently on the events of today, but they kept coming back to a particular subject.<p>

A small, furry subject.

Now, it should be noted that it wasn't the ferret itself that had his attention, but rather the strange circumstances surrounding it. Nanoha had claimed to hear it calling out for her when ferrets, last he checked, didn't talk, not to mention she had been the only one to hear it for some reason. It had also seemed slightly more intelligent than just a normal wild animal.

Then there was that red gem that was around its neck. The creature had seemed strangely protective of it, all things considered. Now that he thought back, there was something strange about that piece of jewelry as well...

'Stop it,' he thought to himself. 'Whatever that creature's story, it can wait until tomorrow.'

But like a siren's song, the red gem taunted him with its vague familiarity. He couldn't help but notice that it kind of reminded him of-

His eyes drifted over to his desk as the thought that crossed his mind, though he tried to push it aside. It was absurd, ludicrous even. Yet despite that he found himself opening the side of the furniture up, revealing a secret compartment. He pulled out the black box within, shut with both a combination-and-key lock. He quickly produced the former from around his neck and rolled the five numbers necessary. A click resounded as the lock disengaged, and Oswald opened the box.

A sword roughly the length of his leg greeted his gaze, yet of more curious make one would be hard-pressed to find. It was fashioned as a broadsword, its handle and pommel were of the darkest black metal, the grip a slightly lighter dark brown and the guard a rusty red. The lower half of the blade was of a blackish-grey, giving the impression of a plain, if rather grand blade.

But it was the upper half that drew the attention and destroyed any semblance of 'normal': It was a blood-red crystal like some big cousin of the ferret's own, fashioned into the shape of the blade, somehow giving off its own internal light like a heartbeat that light the room in a bloody glow, as if it was somehow alive. 'Magical' was perhaps one word that could describe this object.

However, Oswald regarded it like something to be feared or grimly respected rather than admired. He gave the red crystal a look that spoke not of wonder but of cold observation. Finally though, he shook his head.

'Stop this,' he thought to himself. 'There are no more Psypher crystals. Even if there were, none bear this one's taint. Coincidental semblance, nothing more.'

Thus assured, he prepared to put the dark reminder of his past away.

Suddenly, the crystal seemed to flare brighter, as if filled with some ancient power. Oswald, unprepared for this sudden change, hesitated for just a second.

_'...elp...'_

"What?"

_'So...one...hel...me...'_

The crystal seemed to pulse with each word as the voice, faint but definitely a boy's, seemed to echo within Oswald's skull. In all of his eventful life the white-haired man had never heard another's voice speak directly into his skull, and such was his utter bewilderment that he just stared dumbfounded at his blade.

_'Hurry, someone come and help!'_

That snapped Oswald out of his funk. Quickly standing up, he immediately gazed outside his window, trying to spot anyone in danger. There was no one, yet the voice persisted.

'Where-'

He was suddenly aware of the patter of feet outside his door before the sound of the house's front door being open and shut reached his ears. Quickly rushing to his door, he opened it and quietly moved through the building, glancing outside the front window. His eyes caught sight of yellow and orange before it rounded a bend at running speed.

"Nanoha?" he whispered, then shook his head, remembering earlier. Who was to say she hadn't somehow heard the same voice he had? Though the 'how' escaped him, he decided it didn't matter right now. He stopped only long enough to put on a pair of shoes as the voice continued to cry for help, rushing outside with strange blade still in hand.

He decided to keep pace with Nanoha, who seemed to know better than him where to go, moving as if guided by some sort of supernatural pointer. She seemed to be doing a good job too, if the way the voice seemed to get stronger every second was any indication.

Finally, she stopped in front of a building. Oswald took a moment to recognize it as the vet they had dropped the ferret off at, then shook his head. Figured the critter had something to do with this. He could almost feel energy and power he hadn't seen in ages surrounding the place.

"Nanoha!" he called out, making himself known as he rushed towards her. "What are you doing out here?"

She turned and stared bug-eyed at him, especially at the sword still in his hands. "U-Uncle?" she asked flabbergasted. "Wh-What are you doing here with that thi-"

Suddenly, she grimaced and grabbed her ears as if hearing something scream. Oswald quickly made it to her and grabbed her hands.

"Nanoha, what's wrong?"

As quickly as it had come though, Nanoha's head suddenly snapped up and towards the building, which seemed to shudder as if struck. Oswald didn't say a word, quickly forcing her behind him as he lifted his blade, ready for anything.

He wasn't quite expecting the wall to explode though.

Shrapnel flew everywhere as something smashed against the stone on the inside and blasted it away. Luckily, neither member of the pair was hurt, though Oswald did feel a few small pieces smack against him.

As the dust settled, both of them looked up and saw the thing that caused the explosion. As a matter of fact, they saw two things. One was the yellow ferret, rushing outside to get away from whatever had started this. Not surprising in any way, really.

What _was _surprising was the black ball of fur with a demonic face that flew out after it.

Oswald just stared, more utterly confused than scared. "...Is this for real?"

His question was directed towards the air more than anyone specific, but it did snap Nanoha out of her shock, realization and worry overtaking her as she grasped (well, tried to at least) what was happening.

"We have to help Ferret-san!" was the only thing she could effectively figure out to say. Faster than he could react, she had already rushed out from behind him and picked up the ferret. The monster didn't seem to like that, screeching in anger as it dove down for an attack.

Nanoha's eyes widened as the creature's jaws opened, and she looked away in fear, already anticipating the sound of teeth snapping at her.

And indeed, a sharp snapping sound did resound in the night, but it wasn't that of a monster's fangs. No, that sound was far louder and had been preceded by what distinctly sounded like something getting struck by something hard, like a baseball bat.

"Nanoha, are you alright?" her uncle's voice rang out, but there was something distinctly different about it, almost...colder.

She opened her eyes and stared. In front of her was her uncle with his back to her, strange sword in hand. In front of them a little ways off was a ruined tree, under which something dark struggled to get out from underneath.

For some reason, she couldn't help but think of those heroic knights of legend, protecting the innocent from harm against monsters.

"Nanoha, are you alright?" he asked again, still not looking at her. The cold tone was still there, but it took her a moment to realize it wasn't directed at her.

"Y-Yes," she muttered.

"...Good." He seemed to relax slightly, but the tone still didn't change. "I'm gonna take care of this thing. You stay there with the ferret."

He said it like he was just taking care of a particularly unpleasant chore, like trash duty. Nanoha just blinked and watched as he started to walk forward slowly, sword glowing in the dark as he made his way towards the buried monster.

"Unreal..."

Nanoha blinked. She hadn't said that. She quickly looked around, trying to find the source of the voice.

"Um...down here."

She looked down and found herself staring into the green eyes of the ferret, who seemed to look a little sheepish.

"Hello," it said softly.

"...Eh?"

* * *

><p>Oswald thought he heard Nanoha talking to someone behind him, but he didn't have time to look back before the monster managed to force itself out of the tree he had smashed it into. It seemed to take a moment to reorient itself, but the moment it saw him it roared and charged.<p>

Oswald quickly raised his blade and met its charge, both struggling briefly. It was the creature that won though, forcing him back slightly thanks to its momentum and tried to bite him. A quick jab with his sword stopped it short though, and it didn't seem eager to meet him straight on.

Of course, Oswald had no such prerogative and charged forward, swinging his sword. His strikes were swift and brutal, and while the beast was surprisingly quick, it couldn't dodge all his attacks, and what attacks that did strike cut through its form like mist. A powerful overhead swing nearly bisected it, causing it to move back with a roar as it reformed.

'So, I can hurt it,' he thought grimly, glancing down at his sword. It was obvious this thing wasn't normal by any stretch of the word; he could sense the source of that power from earlier coming from within it, as chaotic and wild as the creature itself.

But his blade was no normal weapon either. He could almost imagine his blade, deprived of sustenance for years, lusting for the creature's energy. Regardless, it was heartening to see that he could hurt it.

And what you can hurt, you can kill.

The creature seemed to understand this, because it immediately jumped into the air and dove back down, intending to crush him with its mass and end it quickly. Oswald saw it coming and dove out of the way, watching the thing demolish the concrete upon landing. He turned to jab it, but it seemed to understand his intent, zipping straight back up the moment it failed.

Thus began a deadly game of cat and mouse, with the roles swapping constantly. Fall, dodge, jab, jump, repeat. Their dance continued for several more exchanges, neither succeeding, though Oswald started getting dangerously close to winning.

Finally, the blob stopped on the ground and shot horizontally at the swordsman, apparently deciding a game-changer was needed. Oswald rushed forward to meet its charge, evidently agreeing with his sword ready to jab its nonexistent heart.

'This is it!'

"Ahh!"

...Or rather, it would have been if it hadn't been for the massive blast of pink light that flared out to the side of them. The blob stopped moving in mid-air as if frozen, and Oswald's surprise completely forced him to abandon the attack to just stare. He could definitely feel power behind the light, completely different from the power coming from the monster as a lake is different from a mere puddle.

'No mistaking it,' he thought in awe. 'This is...magic?'

Within moments, the light faded. In its place stood Nanoha, now wearing a white and blue dress with a red bowtie and white ribbons in her hair, clutching a white and gold staff with a red crystal in the head. And she looked utterly confused by what had happened.

"Nanoha?" Oswald found himself asking.

The monster suddenly roared and charged the new threat. Oswald cursed and charged, sword out to try and intercept the beast, but he knew he was too far away. "Nanoha, run!"

A pink barrier of sorts suddenly flashed into existence in front of Nanoha, stopping the beast's charge. Nanoha once more appeared just as surprised as Oswald, but as the monster tried to smash through the shield, she instead thrusted her staff forward in a panic and watched as it rebounded off, crashing against the ground in a heap and exploding into several gooey pieces.

"What on Earth..." Oswald muttered, still watching in surprise. Nanoha Takamachi had just performed magic, something he had considered a dead art in this place. Yet not only was it magic, but extremely high-level and powerful magic if the way he could almost feel his skin tingle.

He shook his head. 'Fight monsters now, ask questions about magic and dresses later,' he reminded himself. He turned his attention towards the pieces, giving them a careful look and remembering the creature's apparent healing factor. Sure enough, the pieces were already coming back together.

"Guess I'll just have to finish this," he muttered, preparing to draw upon his sword's power.

"Yes, but we need to seal it, not kill it."

Oswald blinked. 'That voice sounds familiar...' He turned his head and saw the ferret from before, staring at him and missing its red gem from before. He quickly put two and two together. "So, you're the one behind this."

"His name is Yuuno," Nanoha said from the sidelines, shaking the staff in her hands. "And this is his staff!"

A talking animal with a magic staff might have been higher on his list of priorities earlier today, but with everything happening right now it didn't even faze him. "Well, I hope you have a plan for that," Oswald said calmly, watching as the monster starting mashing together. "Because my arsenal is geared to destroying the enemy, not catching it."

"Nanoha can do it," Yuuno replied just as calmly despite the situation. He had to give the ferret points for good nerves. "Just give me time to tell her how."

Oswald had already started to walk forward, sword at his side glowing with a deep red light. "No problem. Just hurry it up."

The monster finally finished reforming its body and looked towards him. As if remembering him it roared and jumped upwards, attempting once more to crush him. It came down almost twice as fast as any other try, but Oswald's trained instincts allowed him to dodge it. It quickly jumped back into the air, prepared to avoid the inevitable jab.

Unfortunately, it didn't count on Oswald actually jumping into the air after it. Swinging his sword up, the white-haired warrior flashed a dangerous smile as the blade flashed with power. "Phozon Burst!"

With that, a burst of crimson light blasted out of his sword, consuming the blob and making it explode once more. This time though, Oswald swore he caught a glimpse of something blue within it as flew apart. He quickly landed and watched as it started to come back together, but much more slowly this time.

He turned towards Nanoha and Yuuno, who were both staring at him with wide eyes and mouths agape. "Anytime now!"

Yuuno shook his head and turned towards Nanoha. "Quickly! Just point Raising Heart at what's left of it and say 'Jewel Seed Seal'. Raising Heart'll do the rest!"

Nanoha nodded and pointed her staff where the blob was congealing together. "Raising Heart Seal!"

With a pink flash, Oswald watched as the staff, Raising Heart, changed shape. Normally, the end part appeared as a large partial gold ring with two exhaust valves and a white fin-like piece protruding from it. Now, the part near said ring opened up, protruding three pink wing-like fins made out of pure energy before a some sort of magic circle appeared underneath her. Those fins then seemed to force all that was left of the blob together into a tightly bound ball before piercing it with a dozen same-colored beams.

'What power...' he thought to himself as he watched the events unfold, the creature fruitlessly struggling to break free as its form seemed to dissolve from within. 'What kind of magic is she using?'

The monster gave one last strangled growl before its body shattered completely, leaving only a single glowing, diamond-shaped blue object floating in the air. Oswald stared at it for a moment, realizing instinctively that this was the source of the magic power he had felt earlier.

'It's almost like a Phozon crystal,' he mused to himself, resisting the urge to walk over to it. He had no idea what would happen if he touched it, considering what it had just been a few seconds ago.

"That is a Jewel Seed," Yuuno supplied helpfully, turning towards Nanoha. "Just touch it with your staff and its over."

Nanoha nodded and walked forward. Following his instruction, she tapped the jewel with the staff end, and the duo watched as the red sphere seemed to absorb the gem into itself.

**[Receipt number XXI] **the staff intoned, signifying the success of the sealing. With that, the staff flashed pink once more and started to shrink, as did Nanoha's new dress. By the time it was over, Nanoha was back in her pajamas and only the red gem that had been around the ferret's neck remained in her hand.

Silence reigned for a few seconds, then Oswald turned his head towards the talking ferret. "Well, now that that annoyance is done with, mind telling me exactly what's going on?"

* * *

><p><strong>And that's it. I plan to have the story with chapters showing the main story, along with some flashback chapters thrown in to show exactly what happened to lead to beginning as you saw it. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!<strong>

**Review, fav and follow people! I'm gonna give this my all!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everybody, welcome to the newest installment of Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Odin Sphere! This'll be a bit of an exposition chapter on both sides, so get ready for some info-dumping.**

**Disclaimer: Odin Sphere and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha are property of Vanillaware and Altus, and Masaki Tsuzuki and Seven Arcs respectively.**

**I hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Takamachi House (Oswald's Room)<em>**

"So then," Oswald said calmly from his seated position in his desk chair, looking at the other two occupants of his room. "How should we start this little conversation?"

Across from him on the bed sat both Nanoha, still in her pajamas, and the ferret called Yuuno. After the trio had fled the damaged vet clinic moments before the police had arrived, Oswald managed to get them all back inside their house and into his room without anyone waking up, locking the door behind him so they wouldn't be interrupted.

Now that the hectic night had started to settle down, he wanted answers.

"Hmm...how about we start with introductions then?" Nanoha suggested with a tilt of her head. Receiving a shrug from her uncle and a nod from the ferret, she pressed on. "I'll go first then. My name is Takamachi Nanoha, currently a third year elementary school student. My friends and family just call me Nanoha though," she finished with a smile.

"My name is Yuuno Scrya. Scrya is my family name and Yuuno is my given name," the ferret stated before giving a deep bow. "I apologize for getting the both of you involved in this."

"Don't say that," Oswald muttered, causing Yuuno to look towards him. "You would have been one dead ferret if we hadn't done anything, so you have nothing to apologize for." Noticing he had the creature's attention, he offered a very slight smile as comfort. "My name is Oswald Egarson, a good friend of the Takamachis, officially the 'uncle' of the family."

"A pleasure," the ferret replied, looking between them with more confidence now that his guilt had been assuaged slightly. "So then, what do you two wish to talk about?"

"How about the 'magic' bit?" Oswald immediately stated. "Not to be rude, but I don't believe ferrets are supposed to even talk, much less use such powerful magical artifacts. I haven't felt power like that in years."

"Magic?" Nanoha questioned, looking at her uncle in confusion. "You mean like in those stories?"

"Interesting," Yuuno added. "I didn't know there were magic users on this planet before, as records state this planet has had very little to no magical activity. Yet you speak as if you already know about it."

"Long story," Oswald told them. "Maybe I'll tell it sometime. However, I haven't seen or even felt magic be used by others in a long time. I was under the impression I was the bearer of a lost and dead art."

Yuuno looked more and more intrigued. It was a weird expression to see on a ferret's face. "I see...Mr. Oswald, if I may be so bold, could you please hold Raising Heart for a moment?"

Oswald nodded, curious about the gem himself. He leaned forward and let Nanoha put the red gem into the palm of his hand.

**[Access denied. Current user has no Linker Core to draw mana upon,] **the device chimed.

Yuuno and Nanoha blinked in surprise as Oswald snorted. "Not surprising."

"B-But that red light you used..." Yuuno spluttered, "That was clearly magic! I felt a discharge of mana!"

"That would be my sword," Oswald told them, leaning down to lift the black-and-red-crystal blade. "Belderiver is its name."

Both of the other two stared at glowing sword in equal parts awe and slight fear, a strange feeling of dread bubbling up at the sight of bloody glow. Oswald noticed this and put it away. "This blade is the source of my magic power," he told them both simply. "While I was born with zero magical talent, the magical abilities of this sword, to absorb energy from its surroundings to grow stronger and cast spells, more than make up for my deficiencies in the craft, at least in terms of offensive-based combat."

"A crystal that absorbs and converts mana into magic? And durable enough it can actually be turned into a weapon?" Yuuno asked with barely disguised amazement. "Unbelievable. I've heard tales of such things, but this is the first time I've ever seen it."

"Burn the image into your memory then, ferret," Oswald replied. "Because that weapon, a Psypher, is the last of its kind. No other weapon like it exists in all of creation, as far as I know."

"Really?" Nanoha asked. "Then how did you get it? I don't remember you ever having-"

"It was a gift...and a curse," Oswald answered her, his tone carrying a note of finality. "Safe to say, it's all that I have left of my life from before your father found me."

Nanoha suddenly looked down, realizing she had touched a bad subject. "I-I'm sorry, uncle..."

He sighed. "No, I am. I just don't want to talk about it." Turning his attention back to the ferret, he then said, "However, I'd like to know more about you, specifically what that creature and jewel from earlier was."

The ferret nodded, seemingly realizing he wouldn't be getting more information about the sword or him for now. "That creature that you fought was actually a manifestation created by a Lost Logia called a Jewel Seed, of which there are 21. Each Seed contains a large amount of power. I uncovered them while on an archaeological dig and had asked the Time-Space Administration Bureau to recover them. Unfortunately, the transport had an accident mid-route."

"And they ended up here," Oswald guessed.

Yuuno nodded. "When I heard the news, I came immediately. I was the one who found them, so it should be my responsibility to reseal them after they fell here," he finished solemnly.

Oswald rubbed his chin in thought. He could understand such lines of thinking. Still...

"I find rather hard to believe you're an archaeologist...yet also a ferret," he replied. "Must have made those calls rather awkward."

"Oi!" Yuuno snapped indignantly, "I'm not a talking ferret! I'm a boy...I just stay in this form because it's more inconspicuous is all!"

Oswald held up his hands. "Alright, alright..."

Nanoha decided to intervene before the conversation could get too far off track, her own questions still waiting to be asked. "Hey...about Lost Lo-something and the Time Space Administration Bureau, what are they?"

Yuuno gave a light cough to compose himself before righting himself on his hind legs. "Lost Logia are magical items with an enormous power, left behind by civilizations lost to the universe. How they were created has remained a mystery even to this day, but there is no arguing that they are dangerous in the wrong hands."

"How dangerous?" Oswald asked.

"Some are capable of destroying entire planets if misused," Yuuno replied simply and seriously.

"Okay, bad," Nanoha squeaked.

"I suppose in a sense, your sword (a Psypher wasn't it?) could be considered in some fashion to be a Lost Logia," Yuuno decided to add as an example. "The Jewel Seeds themselves seem to have the ability to grant a person's wish to some extent, but if left alone for too long without being contained, a Seed might take a form of its own, usually by using its own magic or merging with another object. I believe the former is what happened to the one we sealed earlier."

"As for the Bureau, or the TSAB if you prefer; it's an interdimensional security force formed by the union of different worlds. Currently, it is based on the planet Mid-Childa. They act as a police force and often provide disaster relief to other worlds, especially when magic and Lost Logia are involved."

"So they'll no doubt be coming here soon enough," Oswald finished, then gave Yuuno a scrutinizing look. "How many other Seeds are left?"

"That was only the first, so there are 20 others," Yuuno replied slowly, giving him a scrutinizing look. "...But why do you want to know about that?"

Oswald frowned. That was far too many for comfort, especially given the whole 'blow up planets' bit. He had lived through one hell-on-earth already, and he had no intentions of doing so again, especially not with people he cared about involved.

He was also rather curious about the whole 'life-and-civilization-off-Earth' bit, but that could wait 'till the immediate crisis was over with.

"Well, since they aren't here yet," Oswald replied. "We'll just have to take care of this ourselves. I'd rather not have them arrive only to find a smoking ruin of a world."

"What?" Yuuno asked, then suddenly shook his head. "I can't accept that. It's too dangerous!"

"You were there when I utterly crushed that little blob, weren't you?" Oswald asked him. "If that is all we have to fear, I see no reason to worry."

"That was the best-case scenario of a Seed taking its own form," Yuuno replied. "When the Jewel Seeds go out of control due to being in contact with someone's wish or strong feelings, that's when they release their maximum power, and they grow stronger the more that activate at once. What you two saw tonight is merely a fraction of what they can do. The next time could be much worse!"

"And what will will we do in the meantime if another activates?" Oswald retorted. "Who will stand to deal with it and defend the innocent?"

Yuuno looked down. "I-"

"You're in no condition to go gem-hunting," Oswald told him plainly. "From the sounds of it, you're not exactly ready to take back your gem yet, are you?"

Yuuno sighed. "You're right...I'm still too weak even though I've managed to heal my wounds with my remaining mana. In fact, I think of the three of us only Nanoha could successfully hunt the Jewel Seeds and seal them now."

Oswald glanced up at said girl, who blinked in surprise before suddenly gaining a determined look. "I'll do it!"

Oswald blinked. "What? No," he immediately replied, his mind not quite realizing what he was saying. "I'm not going to let you do that."

Nanoha gave him a shocked look. "What?!"

"I'm not gonna let you get involved in this," he repeated. "You're not ready for the things that'll likely happen in the coming days."

"But-"

"What would the others think if they found out you were risking your life in some sort of magical business?" he asked her. "Do you even understand what you'll be up against?"

She nodded. "I do!" she replied with conviction. "But you heard Yuuno! I'm the only one who can actually seal these gems with Raising Heart, so I'm involved whether I want to or not! Besides, this is our town and so it's my duty to help protect it too."

Oswald bit back his reply before he said something he'd regret. He knew she was right deep down. It was just that hearing her sound so eager to fight had touched off some protective urge inside of himself that he hadn't truly felt in a long time.

'Damn it, I've gotten soft,' he thought to himself, then shook his head. 'Since when did a such a determined look make me so protective and weak?'

He sighed, defeated. "You're right, and I'm sorry for saying that. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

Nanoha's own expression softened. "I know," she replied with a smile. "You're just a big ol' softie deep down, Uncle."

Yuuno didn't say anything, simply looking between the two of them as they spoke to each other. With no way of contacting professional help, these two were apparently his only chance of stopping any Jewel-Seed-related accidents before he was fully recovered.

'Still, it might not be too bad,' he thought with some hopefulness, 'these two at least seem capable, especially Oswald. He defeated that construct like it was nothing after all. Maybe our luck will hold 'till help arrives.'

Still, there was so much he wanted to know. About that Psypher blade Oswald held and how it could absorb mana and cast magic, along with how he got it. The man was a mystery that the discoverer in Yuuno wanted to know more about.

He was broken out of his musings by the sound of Nanoha suddenly yawning, the girl rubbing her eyes slowly as the adrenaline of the previous events began to leave her. Oswald simply sighed at the sight.

"That's enough talking about otherworldly threats," Oswald spoke up. "Time for sleep."

There was a brief discussion on sleeping arrangements, but Oswald insisted that he and Nanoha use his bed tonight, leaving him to sleep in the chair. Nanoha seemed to be too tired to protest, immediately getting under the covers. Yuuno decided to just curl up on top and rest. A slight smile crossed his face as Oswald leaned forward and rubbed Nanoha's head in an affectionate manner.

"Good night, Nanoha," he whispered affectionately.

"Night, Uncle..." Nanoha muttered drowsily. Apparently the night had taken more out of her than either of them had thought. Yuuno watched all of this silently as Oswald went back to his seat, taking up a position in it and shutting his eyes.

At least, before he suddenly glanced at Yuuno.

"Can I trust you not to do anything suspicious while you're in here?"

"You have my word as a Scyra," Yuuno promised.

Oswald gave him a look that seemed to say, 'We'll talk in the morning,' then finally shut his eyes, though Yuuno felt that he was still watching him regardless.

'Still, to be willing to help a total stranger...' he thought to himself as he snuggled down for the night, 'I suppose I could have done worse with help on this planet.'

* * *

><p><em><strong>Morning<strong>_

"Goodbye Mother, Father, Uncle!" Nanoha, in front of the door and dressed in her school gear, said to her parents and Oswald, who were sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee, a glass of juice and a piece of bread with cream cheese respectively. "See you this afternoon!"

"Be good!" Momoko told her.

"Be safe," Shiro added.

"Bye Nanoha," Oswald finished with a smile. "Have a good day."

Nanoha gave them all a happy smile and turned to leave. However, Momoko remembered something important.

"Remember, don't forget about your ferret friend!" Momoko quickly added. "You don't want to keep it waiting too long!"

Nanoha giggled, but her eyes briefly made contact with Oswald's. Suddenly, Nanoha's voice seemed to bloom from within his skull, panic evident in the mental voice.

_"Oh no, I completely forgot about that! How am I gonna explain why Yuuno's already here..."_

_"Don't worry. I'll handle it." _Oswald replied back, his face unchanging on the outside. _"I've got a plan, so just go to school like normal."_

This newly discovered telepathic communication between the two of them was the result of a spell Yuuno had taught Nanoha quietly while he himself had still been asleep, a rarity for him admittedly. His first brush with it had been the equivalent of a mental shout in his mind, rudely awakening him from slumber. Luckily, Nanoha had told him about it before he could start committing first-degree murder on the ferret, so he had taken the time to learn about it.

Apparently, their connection was limited due to the fact that, while they did have dual-way connection while speaking, only Nanoha could initiate contact due being the only one able to cast it properly. Oswald's lack of magic ability simply wouldn't allow him to do the same, even with the sword. The spell apparently required both a Linker Core and the proper input of logistical calculations, aka math, and Oswald, sadly, wasn't an expert of the later even if he had an artificial version of the former.

Still, Oswald wasn't too worried. As long as Nanoha could get in contact in him, it would make their efforts to recover and seal the Jewel Seeds all the more easy and effective. And if that failed, Yuuno could also contact him if need be. Apparently, last night with his Psypher acting up was the result of it tracing the magical signal of the ferret's blind shouts as it absorbed the mana, allowing him to establish a connection. Now though, since Yuuno knew Oswald's identity, he could start a link without the sword acting as a beacon of sorts.

_"Alright," _Nanoha replied as she prepared to shut the door, still waving. _"I guess I'll be training with Raising Heart then. She says I need to if I want to be able to use her full capabilities."_

_"How will you be doing that?" _Oswald asked curiously. _"I didn't think there were magic items that could do that." _'Would have made my own training easier if Belderiver told me exactly what it could...and what it would do if I used it too much...'

A mental giggle. _"I guess that's why she's an _Intelligent_ Device. I__ don't know exactly how though. She just said she would make the time."_

_"Be careful."_

Only the barest hint of her eye was still visible through the door crack. _"I will Uncle. I promise."_

The door then shut, and with it their connection was cut off.

* * *

><p>"...So that's it, huh?"<p>

Oswald leaned back in his chair, sighing to himself. Across from him, Yuuno sat at attention on his bed, observing the man's expression. "A lot to take in, huh?" he asked sheepishly.

The white-haired man just rubbed his head. "What can I say? To know that mankind lives on more than just one planet, and that it has even achieved the ability to travel to entirely different worlds...it's mindboggling, yes."

And he found the things of the modern world confusing enough. It had taken him weeks to wrap his mind around the full concepts of a television and a cell phone alone, much less some of the even greater and more terrifying things on this planet (he could never imagine weapons powerful enough to wipe out all life on a scope of world destruction existed in such large amounts, though he was grateful to know that there were many with the sense to understand they couldn't be used). To know that there were worlds and civilizations out there that made this one seem as primitive as the one he had come from...it was rather humbling, in a sense.

"No less than what you've told me about your homeworld, Erion," Yuuno replied, shaking his head in disbelief at the information he had been told straight from the mouth of another off-worlder. "A world of pure magic without any sort of technology...fairies and goblins, valkyries and lava-beings...it must have been an amazing world."

"It was," Oswald told him. "There's probably not another one like it...and mayhaps that's for the best."

"How exactly did it happen?" Yuuno asked him. "The End, I mean."

"...I still don't know. All I know is that it happened, and I somehow ended up here." Oswald's face grew hard. "However, I refuse to let another world befall the same fate while I can still do something about it."

Yuuno nodded. "I agree. That's why we must find the Seeds as soon as possible." A glance towards the place Yuuno knew was the sword he had seen last night, hidden. "Still, it amazes me the parallels your weapon has to Raising Heart. Channeling mana, casting spells, enhancing your own power...it's almost like a precursor to the Device, maybe even your world's equivalent to one."

"I've been meaning to ask you about that," Oswald interrupted him. "Exactly what is a Device?"

"Devices are tools that mages use. Their basic function is to augment their master's magic abilities and assist them in casting spells, which is done by synchronizing with their Master's brain so only they can wield them. Of course, it's perfectly possible to cast magic without Devices, it's just so much easier and faster with a machine to provide extra connection." Yuuno held up his paw. "Nanoha uses an Intelligent Device, which is basically the best of the best among Devices with the strongest sort of artificial intelligence. If there is any weapon that can teach her to use magic properly and get her through this, it's that. Your sword though I think is more along the lines of a Storage or especially Armed Device, designed for combat purposes and have limited to no AI."

Oswald nodded. "I see...I suppose I can see why you'd say that about my sword." He looked over to the hiding place as well. "But trust me when I say this: Belderiver is no Device. If anything, it's its evil uncle of sorts."

Yuuno looked at him curiously and nearly voiced his question, but then he remembered the feeling of dread he had felt when he had seen the blade up close and personal. "That crystal..." he conceded slowly, "it had almost seemed...evil in a sense."

"Not all Psyphers are-_were_ like that," Oswald admitted. "They were as good or evil as the one using them. But Belderiver was a special case. Designed as a powerful weapon, even among Psyphers, already, the one responsible for its creation decided to make it even stronger by making a deal with one of the five most powerful rulers of Erion, Odette of the Netherworld. In exchange for her dark blessing, she would have the souls of all who would wield the blade."

Yuuno squirmed slightly at the thought. Sounded far too much like those stories about making 'deals with the devil' older members of his clan would occasionally read him before he went to bed at night. "And you?"

"I terminated the contract with some incentive...though I had two close calls before I fully succeeded, and even then it was another, not me, that did it. Still, her power remains within Belderiver at my beck and call, but in the end even such a blade is only as evil as the one it deems worthy to wield it. And I have no intention of killing innocents; I fight for those I deem my allies and friends."

Yuuno nodded. "I'm glad you're on our side then."

"Trust me, as long as I wield this sword, no harm shall come to this town," Oswald told him. "I will not let anything harm those I care about." 'Not again.'

* * *

><p>Oswald sighed to himself as he walked down the street to the grocery store, patting an old black fedora he had on his head and adjusting the black suitcase in his hand. After escorting Nanoha and her friends to cram school again, enduring everyone's questions as to why he was wearing a hat when the sun wasn't even really out (and learning from mental conversation that Raising Heart apparently had some sort of mental simulation program to help her train, whatever the heck that meant, and she had been using it in her spare time), he had made a beeline to the marketplace to do some shopping. Momoko had saddled him with a list since he was going to be in the general area. He was heading there now and he figured he might as well use this as his opportunity to deal with two headaches of the day.<p>

"Okay, you can come out now," he muttered, glancing up at the hat on his head.

There was a brief shuffling, then Yuuno poked his head out of the hat, taking a deep breath.

_"That was...new," _Yuuno told him mentally and with some bitterness. _"But couldn't you have used something with more air holes? Or heck, why not just the case? At there's more room in there."_

_"I'm not gonna destroy a perfectly good hat like that," _Oswald replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world, kneeling down as he reached for a basket near the door. _"And it was too dangerous to put you with the thing in here. Besides, it worked, right? No one knew you were there."_

_"That might have been the point," _Yuuno admitted. _"But that doesn't mean we couldn't have thought of a better plan to get me outside."_

Oswald acquiesced the point. _"Anyways, this is perfect for us though. I know someone who might want to meet you."_

_"Huh? Who?"_

Before Oswald could reply with an answer though, he was interrupted by someone suddenly squealing.

"Hey, Oswald-san, how-_ohmygosh,whatisthat?!"_

_"Wha-" _Yuuno started before suddenly finding himself wrenched out of Oswald's hat and into the arms of a brown-haired, wheelchair-bound young girl. _"Oh God, I can't breathe!"_

Oswald, for his part, just sighed. "Hey there, little Hayate," he greeted the young girl, standing back up with basket in hand. "I see you've been doing well. Has your guardian come back recently?"

Hayate Yagami (or Yagami Hayate as she would introduce herself. Oswald never got used to the idea of introducing yourself with your last name first.) was a young girl roughly Nanoha's age that he had met by complete and utter accident one day similar to this one, having caught sight of her trying to reach items on a high shelf all by herself. Apparently, she had just moved to the city and was living by herself, her guardian having left her on some work-related business. After a brief meeting and some conversation, they had more or less come to an arrangement of meeting here two days out of the week after Oswald took care of Nanoha and her friends so that he could help her with any shopping while taking care of any of the Takamachi's in the process.

Of course, Nanoha was unaware of the extra reason behind these little excursions, as was the rest of the family. As far as they knew, he was just doing a little bit of shopping.

"I've been doing fine, actually," Hayate replied warmly, then snuggled Yuuno a little more. "But less about me, how did you get this cute little guy?"

Oswald smiled slightly as he went inside, pushing the girl's wheelchair as he did so. "Well..."

He gave her an abridged version of the events as they got their supplies, minus the whole 'magic, talking ferrets, and energy beams' part. As he did, Yuuno stopped struggling and just let Hayate pet him. In fact, near the end when they were finishing up, he even seemed to enjoy it.

Of course, the ferret did seem to purposely scratch his face when he finally got out of her grip and back on his head. Oswald didn't call him out on it.

"Thank you again, Oswald-san," Hayate told him kindly as he wheeled her towards a wheelchair-accessible bus. "For helping me like this."

"It's what I do," he told her. "I really need to introduce you to Nanoha sometime though. I think you and her would make pretty decent friends."

She smiled. "I look forward to it then." She glanced down at the suitcase in his hands. "By the way, what's in the case?"

He glanced down at it himself. "Just a little something I just wanted to carry around with me for today," he replied. "I need to put it somewhere safe and I was en-route to that place."

"Can I get a hint?"

"Just a little something from my old home before coming here," he answered her. "Nothing major."

They said their farewells as Oswald headed back to the Takamachi house with his groceries. He looked at Yuuno, still sitting on his head.

_"Well?"_

_"...She wasn't so bad," _Yuuno admitted, then glared at him. _"Still, I'd appreciate it if you told me about something like that before you throw me into it. Just a little warning, alright?"_

_"Fine."_

Suddenly, both Oswald and Yuuno felt what was like a jolt of electricity surging through their bodies at the same time. While the former likely wouldn't have been able to feel it normally without his sword in hand, they were close enough to the source that it didn't matter.

_"Was that what I think it was?" _Oswald asked.

_"Yeah," _Yuuno confirmed grimly. _"A Jewel Seed has activated."_

Suddenly, Oswald felt the probing of a familiar presence at the edge of his subconscious.

_"Uncle Oswald, Yuuno-kun, do you both feel that?" _Nanoha asked frantically.

_"Yup, it's a Jewel Seed," _Oswald replied calmly. _"Yuuno and I are close. Where are you?"_

_"I just finished my classes. I'm coming!"_

_"Oswald and I will scout ahead then," _Yuuno answered. _"We'll try to lead it away from any civilians."_

_"Be careful then," _Nanoha told them worriedly.

Giving their assent, Oswald immediately charged towards where he could feel the power building, Yuuno clutching to his hair and hand clutching suitcase.

_"Guess it was a good thing I brought this after all," _Oswald mused. _"I should do this more often."_

_"You might want to use something a little more inconspicuous though," _Yuuno replied. _"Taking a suitcase everywhere is just asking to draw suspicion."_

His path lead them to a Shinto shrine, where he quickly dropped off his groceries next to the torii gate. He grimaced slightly as he entered. Places of religious worship, while he respected them, never held much in terms of appeal to him. Maybe it was because he didn't like the idea of putting faith in an unseen higher power.

Religious views aside, when he finally reached the top he was greeted to the sight of his opponent. This time, the Jewel Seed had taken the form of a large, four-eyed black beast with horns, sharp claws, protruding spike-like spine, and serrated fangs. All along its body, particularly the chest and behind the hind legs, there were even more protrusions that formed what seemed like armor. It was the definition of a predator.

And it was currently standing over a lone unconscious woman, ready to put those teeth to good use.

Yuuno jumped off Oswald's head, who then immediately snapped open his suitcase, revealing a familiar red glow. Grasping the handle, he drew Belderiver once more, feeling the familiar power burst forth in his chest. He rushed forward, grabbing a stone and hurling at the beast.

It turned just in time to see his blade flashing forward towards it.

It moved on instinct, jerking back from the man with bristled fangs like a dog. That was the only thing that saved it from getting its throat cut out, only getting a thin scrape across it instead.

'Damn,' Oswald thought, quickly ducking to avoid the creature's claws as it swiped at him. 'Gotta be faster.'

The claws came again, which Oswald blocked with his sword. They engaged like this for a few more passes, claws and blade clashing with each other. A normal beast's natural weapons would have long since been destroyed by the cursed sword, but it would appear that the Seed had also given its host some form of magical enhancement and protection as well. They didn't even seem chipped as they blocked his strikes.

However, Oswald had a lifetime's experience of fighting wild beasts, and this was no different. There was no method behind the creature's attacks, just pure instinct. As such, it was easy to exploit weaknesses in its style, especially when the beast didn't even seem to regard him as much of a threat right now.

He fixed that by dodging its next swipe and cutting deeply into its front left leg, watching as real red blood flowed from the injury. As it reeled, he quickly struck another across the other foreleg and then across its face. Before he could do another, the dog-like monster jumped back, growling and yowling in pain from its injuries.

_"Blood...that's new," _Oswald told Yuuno. _"I take it this isn't just some construct?"_

_"Yeah. The Seed must have merged with some animal nearby when it activated," _Yuuno confirmed. _"That means it can feel pain, but its also a whole lot more stable than the last one."_

Oswald nodded, then blinked as the injuries on the dog seemed to be healing with some sort of blue light. _"It can heal?"_

_"Apparently. I've never seen the Jewel Seeds in action before, so I have no idea what they can do to their hosts. Enough damage or sealing should make that factor moot though."_

Oswald thought briefly about using the dark power of the sword to speed that process along, but pushed it out of mind. 'Not here, not now,' he decided. 'It's not worth using on something like this...'

Instead, he charged forward again. This time, the beast seemed much more cautious, not bothering to met him head-on. Instead, it moved back and started circling, intent on finding an opening, eyes on the blade that had hurt it. Oswald followed it, eyes on alert for signs of charging.

This was the scene that Nanoha rushed in on.

"Nanoha!" Yuuno shouted.

"Yuuno-kun, what should we do? Uncle is in danger!" she asked out loud in barely contained panic, hand clutching her red gem.

"Activate Raising Heart! Only you can seal it, remember?" he told her back.

As the exchange happened, Oswald's eyes briefly flickered to the two of them. It was brief, but to the dog it was weakness. With a roar it charged, fangs wide and claws opened.

"Uncle!" Nanoha shouted in fear.

That fear quickly turned to surprise when she saw his sword flick upwards and sink directly into the armored underbelly of the beast, its blue armor parting under the crystal blade with almost contemptuous ease. The beast gave a strangled howl, swiping away and ineffectually knocking his hat off before Oswald wrenched his sword out, his face grim as ever before, and gave it a mighty kick and sent it flying away between himself and Nanoha.

"Don't worry about me," he called to her. "Just seal it now!"

Nanoha nodded and then held out her gem. "R-Right!"

Yuuno then looked at her. "Remember, you have to say-"

Suddenly, to all three of their surprises, the dog, still bleeding from its chest wound suddenly howled and charged Nanoha. Perhaps it seemed to understand what she was about to do, maybe it thought she was the easiest target of them, or maybe it was just blind chance, but on it came. Oswald tried to intercept it, but he underestimated it's speed even with such a deliberating injury, not to mention the fact it was closer to Nanoha than he was to it.

'Shit!' "Nanoha!" he yelled. "Get back!"

However, seeing the fearsome creature leap at her made Nanoha instead stand there in the claws of terror, only giving out a loud yelp before putting her hands out to defend herself.

**[Stand by. Ready.]**

Pink light started to shine out between her fingers as a small surge of mana washed out over the area. Belderiver flashed in response, the surge of power being absorbed into the crystal's depths. Oswald felt strength flow through his body as it did so.

**[Set up] **the device chimed again as the glow brightened further before dimming down, revealing a familiar staff in Nanoha's hand. **[Protection.]**

Oswald watched in surprised awe as the beast seemed to crash against a pink wall of light before bouncing off.

'What pure power,' he thought to himself, remembering the energy from last night. 'And this is all Nanoha's?'

With another flash, Nanoha was once more wearing the white dress from last night. Yuuno stared in amazement himself.

'Unbelievable. Not only has she activated Raising Heart without an incantation, she was even able to cast a spell and form her Barrier Jacket afterwards!' He quickly shook off his surprise at the sound of the dog slowly getting back to its feet, stumbling slightly from the concussive force and the slowly healing injury in its chest. "Quickly! Seal it now!"

That snapped Nanoha out of her surprise and she nodded. "Raising Heart, please."

**[Sealing Mode. Set up.]**

Like last night, the three mana wings formed once again. Ribbons of pink light shot up from the magical circle that formed beneath the struggling beast and tied it down, the number XVI appearing over its head.

**[Stand by. Ready.]**

"Lyrical Magical. Jewel Seed Serial XVI, seal!"

**[Sealing.]**

The creature soon burst into a speck of magic dust, leaving behind an unconscious puppy without a mark on its body and a floating blue gem where it once was. As Nanoha held out the staff, the gem floated over to her before entering the ruby sphere just like the previous one.

**[Receipt Number XVI.]**

A relaxed sigh escaped the girl as the staff morphed back to gem form. Looking up, she watched as Oswald walked towards her, ruined hat in one hand and sword in the other. With a flick he threw the former away and used the free hand to grasp her by the shoulder.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

She nodded. "I'm fine."

Silence for a long moment. Nanoha shifted uncomfortably under her uncle's gaze.

"...You did good, Nanoha."

It was one little sentence of four words. Nothing major, but she still felt a surge of pride at them anyways. With a little grin she gave him a light hug.

"Thanks Uncle."

Yuuno watched this little interaction silently as he walked up to them. He hated to be a mood killer, but- "We should probably go before the authorities arrive."

The two looked at him and nodded. Nanoha let go of her uncle as they quickly made their escape, but not before grabbing those groceries.

"The last time I forgot them wasn't a good day for me and her mother," Oswald explained to the ferret. "I've never looked at rolling pins the same way again."

As they finally made it back home, Nanoha looked over at Oswald, who had put Belderiver back into its case and was wearing his ruined hat again. "Aren't you worried about what Mother and Father will say if they see you like that?" she asked, referring to the slightly dirty and ruffled appearance of his suit.

He glanced at her before shrugging. "Eh, I've got a backup for that."

Yuuno looked at him from his position on Nanoha's shoulder as he knocked on the door. "What do you mean by that..." suddenly, he had a sinking suspicion. "Oh, no you don't!"

Too late. The door was opened and Nanoha's mother was the one who answered. "Hello Nanoha, Oswald. Welcome home-oh, is that him?!"

Yuuno suddenly found himself snatched once again into the grip of a girl, feeling his skeleton fracture under the grip. _"Damn you!" _he shouted at Oswald. _"Stop using me like this!"_

"He's so cute!" Momoko squealed happily, her attention completely off Oswald, who slipped inside in the confusion with the groceries while Nanoha just watched her mother with an exasperated expression.

* * *

><p><strong>And that's it for this chapter! Still building things up, you know.<strong>

**Anyways, review, fav and follow people! Tell me what you thought!**


	3. Flashback Ch 1

**Hello everybody! This is X the Reaper, bringing you the first flashback chapter of Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Odin Sphere! I actually wrote this chapter before I wrote the true first chapter, so hooray for the first line of work then!**

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.**

**Alright, let's delve into the past of Oswald Edgarson and his story with the Takamachi family!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Battleground of the Cauldron War (Unknown Time)<em>**

How much difference do a few choices make in the long run?

What difference is there between sleeping in for one extra hour? Finishing a job early? Sparing the life of one more person on the battlefield? Buying that last cup of coffee? Writing a sequel to a controversial book? One more voice at a rally for equal rights?

In the end, those sort of questions can't be answered effectively, for to do so and know the answer would require having to relive the exact same circumstances that brought the choice about the first the exact same way in the exact same state of mind. The 'what-ifs' must become potential outcomes, the consequences of the actions made hazy once again.

Of course, such thoughts were far from the mind of a man dragging himself along the dying landscape of a world gone mad, the ground beneath his feet rumbling with each and every step as the fires of war ravaged the great forest in the distance, the mountains behind him collapsing and being swallowed by the seas. It was as if the world was ending.

A most apt description, for Armageddon had come to the world of Erion, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it.

The man who yet struggled for breath and life in this dying world was a warrior, his body surrounded with black armor that still gleamed in the fading light. In his left hand he dragged behind him a sword of curious make: Its handle and pommel were of the darkest black metal, the grip a slightly lighter dark brown and the guard a rusty red. The lower half of the blade was of a blackish-grey, but it was the upper half that drew the attention: It was a blood-red crystal fashioned into the shape of the blade, somehow giving off its own internal light like a heartbeat, as if it was alive in some form. Curiously, it bore no mark of battle, as if it was freshly brought from the forge.

He was young, perhaps only in early twenties at the latest, yet his armor bore the scars of many battles, many of which were very recent. His unmasked face, while handsome, was marked with pain, only one murky red eye open to look past the mess of his white-grey/white-blond hair. The cause of his pain was rather obvious, being a wicked slash along his right side that still bled despite the armored hand pressed to it. The blow was ghastly, which only lead one to imagine what could have made it, as the armor which it passed through was of no cheap blacksmith's make, but of the highest quality metal that could be found. Behind him, a trail of blood marked his passage, dwindling as he continued onwards and the bleeding slowed.

He held the look of a man ready to collapse and join the countless others who had succumbed to their fates in the ending world. But just as the cornered wolf when the hunters closed in, he continued on, defying fate its final prize for just a little longer. For he did not fight on just for himself, but for another. And until he knew what became of her, while there was still hope for her survival, he would push on.

But even sheer will could only last so long.

"Gwendolyn," he whispered almost delusionally, his hoarse voice carrying on the wind. "Where are you?"

As if in answer, a mighty roar shook the night sky. Gazing upwards, the warrior beheld a dragon, but such a dragon had never before nor ever again graced Erion's sky. Like a grand serpent, its massive coils seemed to constrict the very skies in their death grip, countless pink and blue scales joining to form a beast that ended at a massive horned head, mouth agape in forever destruction.

This was Leventhan, the Last Dragon and the final of the five harbingers of Armageddon. According to the prophecies, its breath would destroy the world and reduce all to nothingness.

The dark warrior knew it well, for he had just faced one of the other five harbingers in battle himself: Gallon, the Lord of the Netherworld who would lead the dead from their graves to attack the living. They had descended like a swarm of angry locusts upon the northern kingdoms, and it was in the ruins of the once-grand city of Titania (Gallon's former home) that the young warrior had faced and slayed the mad king, all according to the ancient prophecy held by the royal family, thereby revealing a secret that the knight would never have guessed...

But regardless, the fate of Erion was sealed either way. This world was destined to die, and nothing, not even the deaths of the five harbingers, would change it. As the knight stared up at the mighty serpent, its mouth opened to fire a blast of fire that could consume an entire castle, he felt any and all hope leave him and fell to his knees.

'This is it,' he thought to himself. 'Was everything I ever did for nothing? Was the life I lived truly worth it? Did Gwendolyn survive, at least? If so, then maybe it was-'

Suddenly, the mighty beast seemed to twist to the side, as if trying to force something off its head. An annoyed screech escaped it, and the black knight beheld a blue and silver blur buzzing about its head like an angry wasp, thrusting with a blue light.

Suddenly, he felt hope blossom forth again. "Is that..." he breathed as the dragon's struggles became more desperate and wild, its roar turning to anger and...fear? He found the strength to get to his feet once more, his heart rising in his chest.

It was. There could be no mistaking that light or those colors.

Gwendolyn, Princess of the Northern Kingdom of Ragnanival, daughter of The Demon Lord Odin and, the least of all her titles, wife to him, was fighting the dragon of Armageddon.

He watched as one bespelled at the deadly dance, lightning flashing all around the valkyrie warrior as she struck again and again at the head of the dragon, whose screams grew stronger and stronger. Finally, he watched as the blue light struck off the right horn of the great beast, the blade burying itself within its neck. With a mighty screech, the creature sounded its death knell as its body convulsed, already falling from the sky as its lifeblood left it.

She had done it. His wife had defeated the dragon.

And thus once more comes the discussion of what difference do a few choices make in the long run. In the ideal world, that would have been the end of it. The brave flyer would have been struck by lightning and lost her ability to fly, but the dark knight from below would recover sufficiently from his wound to save her from falling to her death. From there, they would have, through events beyond their control, eventually become the founders of a new kingdom, leading the new world to a better future.

However, this was not that world, and this time a single choice, made by the dying and vengeful mind of a dragon in its death throes, would change so much more.

The dark knight from below, who had watched in relief as she made it clear of the beast, felt it all turn to horror when the dragon managed to whip its head around and sink its fangs into her side, her scream shattering the hope he had held. She managed to break away with one final swing of her lance, but the damage had been done.

"NO!" he screamed, not caring if there was anyone in range to or capable of hearing him. He felt his despair turn to desperation, and he brought his sword to bear and reached deep within, focusing on a dark power he had carried within himself for as long as he could remember. He grasped it, demanded it to come forth and aid him now.

The forbidden power answer to his call. He felt it surround him, become one with him even as his injury from before seemed to tear itself open at his exertion. He didn't give a damn. His vision became blurred as if viewed through flames, his focus on nothing but the falling figure of his wife, feathers flying from her ruined wings like some crippled bird. Acting on instinct, he _leapt_, bounding upwards to heights beyond even the greatest jumpers. His clawed hands wrapped around her, his fire-like shadows flickering around her like some bizarre funeral prye.

As they landed, he forced the power to recede, feeling a chill as they did. Gently, as one holds a babe, he laid her down on the earth, his gaze upon the horrific injury in her left side. Her arm was literally _gone_ along with her corresponding wing, her bones just faintly visible through the torn and bleeding flesh and muscle. It was a miracle she yet breathed, but the logical part of him knew it wouldn't be for long. He had bought her perhaps a few moments of torturous life, nothing more._  
><em>

But the larger part of him quashed that down like an annoying bug. Instead, he threw down his sword and desperately reached into his pouch, trying to find something that could help her. With his other hand, he laid it gently upon the fallen girl's other shoulder.

"Gwendolyn," he whispered as calmly as he could and failing miserably. "Gwendolyn, can you hear me? Please, just hold on. I'm here now, and I'm going to help you."

He wasn't certain if his voice had any true effect, but Gwendolyn's breathing seemed to calm slightly at the sound. "Os...Os...wald?" she breathed out in pain, her eyes still shut.

He nodded, his hand finally coming to stop on a familiar bottle. "Yes," he answered her as he pulled it out, feeling his heart soar at the 'E' label on it. "Yes, it's me. Please, don't talk right now. Just open your mouth. This'll help..."

She obeyed slowly, and Oswald poured the full contents of the bottle down her throat in small amounts, the silver concoction vanishing as she swallowed it. He waited breathlessly for any signs of improvement, and had to restrain a sigh when he saw her breathing ease and the horrific bleeding stem more. That had been the last and strongest healing potion he had left, having saved that in the event he grew too injured to keep going.

"You're going to be fine," he whispered softly to her as he brushed some hair out of her face, surprised by how even like this her beauty never seemed to diminish. Her face was like a goddess, and framed by that silver hair, was it any wonder he had ultimately loved her above all others, to the point he had killed a dragon for her?

Granted, it was for far more than just her beauty that had stolen his heart, but he saw it as one of the qualities she often overlooked in herself.

"You're going to be fine," he said again with conviction. "I promise."

"Don't...Don't make promises you can't...keep," she replied softly, her voice still unbelievably weak. The potion hadn't been enough. It had brought her back from the brink, but she was going again. "I'm...I'm so sorry, Oswald...for always causing you pain."

"It was worth it," Oswald replied. "For you, it was always worth it."

"You...You were always did sell yourself too short...my love," she whispered, having managed to open her eyes to stare at him, dark blue meeting red. "I...I was truly blessed...to have a man like you in my life..."

Oswald would have told her to be please stop talking like that, to stop acting like she wasn't going to make it, but a lance of pain through his side stopped him. Looking down, he watched as the injury seemed to be bleeding freely again, and this time, he was too weak to try and staunch the flow.

"Dammit," he growled, reaching for his sword. "Got to...heal this..."

But it was as if his drive and strength had abandoned him when he needed them most. The sword was just too far, and he felt his body grow heavy, falling next to his wife. He suddenly felt cold, just like when he overused the forbidden power of his blade.

"Oswald..." Gwendolyn muttered, her voice barely hearable.

"Please, just save your strength!" he told her, desperation inflicting his tone. "Please...Gwendolyn, don't make me lose you again. Don't go...don't go where I can't follow."

He clasped her hand with his own, drawing on his fading reserves to bring himself right up next to her face. 'Please,' he pleaded mentally, 'If you gods truly exist, don't steal this from me now...'

_"Look, over there!"_

Who was that? Had someone else survived this hell on earth? Oswald didn't know, but he couldn't bring himself to care, strength fading as darkness came to claim him. The only thing that existed for him now was his wife's face, smiling faintly at him in that way he had always hoped she would eventually.

"D-D-Don't cry..." she whispered softly, "P-Promise me...if you survive... move on...live for me and enjoy life... don't live in grief or kill yourself to join me... learn to love another... show her the same devotion and warmth you showed me..." She took one more long breath. "Please Oswald...do this for me..."

He wanted to say no, to say only she would ever be the one for him and that he could never find happiness again without her as his light. But to do so would imply he saw her as nothing but an object of his own desires, and not her own existence. That was the greatest of crimes in his opinion, and he valued her happiness over his own any day.

"I...I promise," he told her, and told her seriously at that, though it broke his own heart to do so. "But please...don't let me..."

She gave him one last smile. "Th-Thank you...Oswald..." Gwendolyn shut her eyes.

She did not open them again.

And like a candle whose dim light was finally snuffed out, Oswald's vision went dark.

_'I'm so sorry, Gwendolyn...how I wish I could just start all of this over...'_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Nighttime, Uminari City Hospital (0061: Mid-Childan Calendar)<em>**

"Excuse me, Mr. Takamachi, but could you please come inside? I have some questions for you."

The brown-haired man by that name quickly followed the old doctor into the emergency room, walking behind him with a worried look on his face. The two made their way down the halls past several shut doors, finally coming to a stop in front of a room that looked no different from any other one, but contained the subject of the no doubt coming conversation.

It should be noted that the man in question, Shirō Takamachi, was a man who had seen many things in his life. In his time as a samurai, bodyguard, cafe proprietor and kid's soccer team coach, he had seen plenty of injured people, small to large, scraps to fatal. In that time, he had also met plenty of colorful characters, from assassins to rude fat people, killers to incompetent but still hardworking players.

However, the scene that had ultimately lead him to this particular spot definitely took the cake, no pun intended.

He had just been walking home in the evening after a day of work at the Midori-ya cafe he owned, nearly at his home and ready to greet his wife and family, especially his six-year old daughter. It was his 33rd birthday today, and he was looking forward to a potential birthday cake to end a rather fine day, when he suddenly heard what sounded like an explosion from nearby. Quickly racing over to where it had come from, he hadn't been entirely certain what to expect, but it definitely wasn't what he found.

Lying in the middle of a crater, sprawled out and looking like he had just been to hell and back, was a young man of perhaps twenty or so, wearing armor that looked straight out of some medieval story and a weird-looking crystal sword right next to him. He was completely unconscious and bleeding from several places, but especially the mentioned one on his side.

Shirō, being a good Samaritan, had immediately called an ambulance and brought the man to the hospital (after taking a moment to hide the sword so people wouldn't ask any questions) and had sat in the waiting room for almost a whole hour for news about him. He had taken the time to inform his family that he'd be home late but would be back as soon as he could. He really didn't want to make them wait, but he couldn't just leave the man

"So," he asked once they made it. "How is the guy?"

"He's stable now," the doctor replied. "In fact, it's rather amazing, all things considered. He had some pretty bad cuts, especially the one on his side, but we stitched them up no problem. Also a couple of damaged ribs and a broken right fibula bone, but nothing too serious in comparison. I seriously wouldn't be surprised if he was ready to leave the infirmary with a cast by tomorrow."

"Any idea what caused it?"

"The majority of the smaller cuts appear to be from sharp objects like knives, while some of the more serious injuries, like the broken ribs, appear to have been the result of blunt instruments or, like the broken leg, powerful collision. The side cut worries me though. That wasn't caused by a blade. It was way too jagged and uneven, like some broken bottle or something similar."

"But that armor was cut clean through," Shirō protested. "No way some glass could have done that."

"I agree, and that's what worries me. The man's literally been through some serious shit."

Shirō looked down the hall. "What about the guy specifically, Doc?"

"Nothing," Doc replied. "The man has no identification or legal documents on his body. We also tried to pull him up in any police database. Nothing. It's as if he literally just appeared out of nowhere." A glance towards him. "You sure he's not an acquaintance of yours, Shirō?"

"Never met him 'till today," Shirō assured him. "I'm as stumped as you."

The doctor seemed to nod. "Well, he wants to see you."

Shirō gave him an incredulous look. "Wait, you mean he's actually _awake_? And you understood him?" he asked him. "How?"_  
><em>

"I have no idea," Doc replied. "All I know is that he woke up almost ten minutes ago, screaming his head off and nearly ripped the machines off himself in a blind panic, despite all those painkillers and drugs in his systems to keep a bull down. He burned out pretty quickly though, even before we managed to strap him down and sedate him. After that, all he wanted to know was where he was and who brought him here."

"And did you tell him?"

Doc nodded. "He didn't seem to understand Japanese, speaking some weird dialect of English, but he did get my translated words. He didn't seem to know a thing about the city, but he did say he wanted to speak to whoever found him."

A glance towards the window. Shirō caught a glimpse of the white-haired man dressed in a green patient gown, red eyes seemingly fixed on every little thing in the room like he was trying to figure out how it all worked. "You sure it's safe?"

"I have a crash team at the ready if anything goes wrong," Doc answered, then gave him a look. "Besides, one bedridden man against the likes of you? Should I be worried about you or him?"

Shirō sighed. "Well, got me there," he finally gave in, then looked at the door. "I just don't want to end up here in all over again you know."

"Yeah, yeah," Doc replied. "Once was enough, I get that."

Doc opened the door and Shirō walked on in.

* * *

><p>Oswald continued to stare at the strange metal and glass object next to him, watching as it slowly made beeping sounds as if in tune to his heartbeat. It was alien, foreign, and just felt <em>off.<em>

'Where am I?' he wondered to himself as he glanced over the room he had found himself in for what seemed like the hundredth time. 'What manner of sorcery is all of this?'

He had woken up with metal and other things jammed into his skin, a weird mask over his face, and the strangest feeling of numbness and lightheadedness he had ever felt, as if he was both there and yet not at the same time. He hadn't taken much time to wonder though, instead immediately trying to break free. For his efforts, he got a whole lot more pain and something stabbed into his arm before all his strength left. He found himself surrounded by human-like creatures dressed all over with only their eyes uncovered by glasses, who suddenly strapped his weakened form down while speaking in some dialect he was unfamiliar with.

By this point, he guessed that whatever they had done to him had been to prevent him from hurting himself anymore than he was. He seemed to be in some sort of hospital, if the way his injuries had been bound and cleaned was any indication. However, it was definitely one that he was utterly unfamiliar with.

'There's no way such a place could have been so quickly set up in the midst of an apocalypse...' he thought to himself, 'Yet why do things seem so...orderly and clean?' All he knew was he was somewhere called Uminari City in a country called Japan, and that knowledge was useless because he had no idea where that was.

Suddenly, the door opened. Oswald tensed as a brown-haired man older than himself strolled in slowly, his eyes never his own as he took a seat directly in front of him.

"Hello," the man suddenly said. "The doctor said you wanted to see me?"

It was a dialect that was accented, but Oswald recognized it. "Are you..." he breathed, his voice feeling hoarse and dry. "Are you the one...who brought me here?"

The man nodded, a slight smile on his face. "Yes. My name is Shirō Takamachi. What is yours?"

Should he say? The man had apparently saved his life and brought him to help, so he supposed he owed him a name, at the very least.

"Oswald...My name is Oswald."

"Last name?"

Oswald shook his head. He did have one, but he didn't want it to be used by a stranger just yet.

"Why...why did you bring me here?" he asked Shirō. "Where was I when you found me?"

"I found you passed out in some bushes, a big ol' crater right around you," Shirō replied. "You also had a sword, but I took care of that."

Oswald tensed. "Where is it?" he whispered, coldness entering his tone. Shirō held up his hands in supplication.

"Hey hey hey," he said. "I just hid it somewhere no one could steal it. Assuming you get out of here, I'll give it back to you."

"...What there anyone else there near me?" Oswald found himself asking. "Any other injured person?"

Shirō tilted his head, as if sensing the slight hope in his voice. "No, only you."

Oswald felt his spirits sink at those words, the reality of his situation coming back to him. Gwendolyn really was gone after all. His wife, his very reason for living, had left him all alone, this time permanently. However, he remembered the words he had promised her, and so steeled his heart.

Still, he couldn't keep a few tears from leaving his eyes as a half-choked sob escaped him. Shirō seemed to understand what was wrong, as his face grew regretful.

"I...I'm sorry," he said simply.

Silence descended as Oswald gathered the strength and calm to speak coherently again, something the man had said earlier bothering him. "What did you mean 'if I get out'?"

"The fact that you have no money to pay for the medical bills you're accumulating for your hospital care," Shirō answered, seemingly slightly relieved they were speaking again, "Plus the fact you apparently don't even exist in the police database. People are gonna ask questions. A jail cell could be waiting for you, worst-case scenario."

He grunted. "Doesn't matter," he replied. "I'll break out if I have to."

"And become a fugitive?"

"I'll survive. I always have." 'Even if I have had to crawl out of Hell a few times to keep doing so.'

Silence descended again. Oswald noticed Shirō was giving him a weird look. "What?"

"...Doesn't have to be like that," he said simply. "You don't look like the sort of guy who needs to spend his life on the run."

"Trust me, it's far better that way," Oswald answered. "I thank you for bringing me here, but I doubt you will be of much help from this point on-"

"Who says I can't?"

Oswald stopped and stared at him. Shirō continued. "You clearly can't pay for your bills right now, and even if you did you have no place to stay or go. I also have a very weird feeling that you don't quite know everything you need to about where you are or where to even go if you somehow figured that out..."

"Are you implying something?"

"If you want, I'll pay for the hospital bill," Shirō told him, ignoring the surprise that flashed across his face. "I'll give you your sword back, and then I'll provide you a place to stay while you try to sort things out with where you want to go. Sound good?"

"You can't be serious."

Shirō suddenly reached into his back pocket and pulled out what looked like a slip of blue paper (a bank note?), suddenly writing something down with a black pen. "I think this amount will cover the charges," he muttered to himself.

"I never-"

"Consider it a show of my good faith," Shirō continued as he nodded in satisfaction at whatever amount he had written. "According to the doctor, you've recovered pretty darn fast. Probably be out by morning."

"Why are you willing to help me?" Oswald asked him, confusion inflecting his every word. "Why go so far for someone you don't even know?"

Shirō looked at him and sighed. "I might not look it, but I like to think of myself as a good judge of character, something my...previous line of work required to ensure a healthy life. When I look at people, I like to think I can judge them on whether or not they're a good person, and I'm proud to say my gut's rarely lead me wrong."

"And me?"

"You look a rather decent young man who's been tossed a bad hand a few too many times, in my humble opinion. I've seen people like that, and all of them, in my opinion, deserve a second chance."

Oswald wanted to argue that point, but recognized the tone of voice the man was using. It was the tone used by one who had set his mind to something and wouldn't budge on it. One would have a better chance of moving mountains than convince them otherwise.

Still, he had to try on principle. "You're a stubborn fool," he finally said. "There's no changing your mind, is there?"

Shirō just chuckled. That told him all he needed to hear.

"Do whatever you want then," Oswald finally said resignedly, leaning back into his pillow. "I have no reason to reject it anyways."

Shirō nodded. "I'll see you again in the morning then."

He left, leaving the warrior to his thoughts. Apparently, by some sort of miracle, he had survived Armageddon.

'But why me?' he wondered. 'Why, of all the other people of Erion, far more worthy than I, was I chosen?'

The room provided no answer, not that he expected it to. All he could do was rest and hope he had the necessary strength to see things through.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Morning<strong>_

Shirō rubbed his face as he finally handed the papers he had spent all of last night after getting home (and having an admittedly fun late birthday party) working on to the doctor, who looked them over with a practiced eye.

"Very good, Mr. Takamachi," he said with a smile. "I'll check on him now to see if he's ready to go."

"Thanks," Shirō muttered with a yawn, then walked back over to where his family was waiting, sitting down next to his wife, Momoko.

"So you're really serious about this?" she asked him. He had taken her aside last night and told her what had happened. To his surprise, she had been amazingly agreeable to the idea, though she had been slightly cautious when he told her exactly how it had all come about.

He sighed. "Yeah. I mean, I can't just let someone like that loose on his own without anything to get by with. And I did find him, so it does make him my responsibility in a sense."

He gave her a sheepish expression. "And look, I know this doesn't mean much now, but sorry I had to delay my own party last night," he told her. "I seriously didn't plan on being here again."

She shook her head and smiled, grasping his hand with her own. "As long as it's not you in the hospital, I'm perfectly fine with it," she replied, then glanced over at their children: 15 year-old Kyouya, 13 year-old Miyuki, and 5 year-old Nanoha, all of whom were glancing over at the emergency room doors, no doubt curious as to exactly why they were here. "Still, they couldn't just stay at home. They wanted to know why you were here and now back again." A slight disapproving look crossed her face. "A fact I too was curious about, when you didn't bother to elaborate on in your call and only told me when you got back."

He rubbed his head. "Well, I didn't want to make you all worry," he muttered, "It's just-"

"I know," she replied, stopping him. "And it's why I agreed when you told me."

Suddenly, there was a thumping noise from behind the doors. Turning, the Takamachi family watched as they opened, revealing Oswald, leg wrapped in a cast and bandages all over his arms and no doubt his chest, hobble inside on twin crutches as if he had always used them, the doctor nearby to grab him in case he needed it. Finally, he stopped in front of the group, his gaze sweeping over all of them but freezing on the children, his eyes widening slightly as if in surprise.

Shirō looked over at his wife, who gave him a nod to continue. Giving an encouraging smile to the kids, who responded with sheepish ones of their own, he gestured towards the white-haired man.

"Everybody," he said, "this is Oswald. Oswald, this is my family. He's gonna be staying with us for a few days."

"Greetings," he said softly, his gaze passing over each of them as if committing their faces to memory.

"Hello," Momoko said warmly. "My name is Momoko."

"Hi," Miyuki said next, showing him a small smile. "I'm Miyuki."

"Hey," Kyouya added, his tone polite. "Name's Kyouya."

Only one of them didn't say anything. The youngest of all, Nanoha, stared at him from behind her mother's leg, her eyes on his injuries with wide eyes.

Oswald noticed her look. "Is something wrong, little one?" he asked her, his voice low, but also soft and kind. Still, she seemed to flinch at his words, moving back slightly.

"I-I..." she muttered, then shook her head. "I'm sorry about staring," she finished sheepishly.

Surprisingly, Oswald actually smiled a little bit, the first show of 'happy' Shirō had seen from him yet. "There's nothing to be sorry for. I would have felt weird if you hadn't stared." He then tilted his head. "What is your name, child?"

"N-Nanoha, Mr. Oswald," she stuttered briefly, then seemed to gain some confidence. "Nanoha Takamachi."

Oswald seemed to think about that for a moment, then smiled. "Nanoha...that's a very nice name. You're lucky to have it."

Shirō glanced over at Nanoha, smiling himself at how she seemed to blush slightly at the praise.

Doc suddenly cleared his throat. "Well," he interrupted. "As much as I'd hate to interrupt this admittedly beautiful bonding moment, I have to get a few things out of the way." Handing Shirō a set of papers, he nodded. "These is the 'official' papers I managed to draw up. I hope you'll be able to see them through from here."

Shirō nodded. "Thank you, and I will."

"Then I leave Mr. Oswald Edgarson, in your care." Giving Oswald one final glance, the doctor walked away. Shirō held out a hand towards him.

"Well?" he asked.

Oswald seemed to hesitate, then nodded. "Lead on."

* * *

><p><strong>Thus, Oswald's first interaction with the Takamachi family. Whether or not I revisit this little 'beginning time' is something that I will decide as necessary. Hope this tides people over until the actual Chapter 3 though!<strong>


	4. Chapter 3

**Hello everybody, welcome to the newest installment of Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Odin Sphere!**

**Merry Christmas Eve or whatever-other-gift-giving-holiday-you-celebrate-this-time-of-year everybody! I'm glad to say I was able to get this chapter ready in time for it.**

**Disclaimer: Odin Sphere and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha are property of Vanillaware and Altus, and Masaki Tsuzuki and Seven Arcs respectively.**

**I hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Takamachi House (Nighttime)<strong>_

"Run that sentence by me again Yuuno. I don't think I heard you properly the first time."

Yuuno sighed to himself as he looked over at the confused Oswald from his position on the latter's bed. It had been roughly five days or so since the ferret had been formerly inducted into the household, and in that time Nanoha had managed to obtain at least two more Jewel Seeds while continuing her training with Raising Heart. The ferret had also taken up residence within the older man's room as a matter of principle (as the first night he stayed in Nanoha's he ended up watching the girl change directly in front of him and nearly discovered the definition of hormones), and it had more or less fallen to him to inform Oswald of the going-ons with progress on the hunt when he wasn't around.

"I didn't stutter," Yuuno replied slowly. "That last Jewel Seed we hunted down was some sort of water-tentacle-monster that stole people's clothing at the pool Nanoha and her friends were at while you were off doing something with her brother and sister. Luckily, she put it down before things could get hectic."

"Did her friends see it?"

"The monster, yes. Her blowing it up, no. They were too busy trying to deal with sudden issue of nakedness."

_That _had been the moment he had discovered his hormones, as he nearly had a nosebleed at the sight.

"And you didn't contact me because...?"

It had been because by the time Yuuno would have he had just caught sight of the two previously mentioned girls naked and had barely avoided being rendered catatonic by the effort to keep his mind from fizzling out and his blood inside his body. By the time he recovered, Nanoha had beat the creature down with a couple of low-level energy beams and was in the process of sealing it.

"Nanoha had it under control," Yuuno half-lied. "She didn't look like she needed the help."

Oswald glanced over him for a second before sighing. "Where is she now?"

"In her room," Yuuno replied. "Probably resting from the mana drain Raising Heart demands upon using. It's a common thing with mages just starting to learn magic. A good night's rest should leave her right as rain."

"What about those 'simulation programs' she's been running?" Oswald asked. "How have those been going on?"

"From what I know, she's been doing them for the past six days whenever she can," Yuuno answered. "It's the source of her astounding progress. I've never seen someone multitask all that in addition to her normal classes and time with her friends...but they're also tiring her out pretty fast too, as you've no doubt seen over the past days."

He had. Oswald had noticed how Nanoha seemed to be sleeping later and later each day, as well as catching naps whenever she could. She still had all the energy he had come to expect of her and her grades didn't seem to be suffering, but she was definitely overextending herself to keep that up.

"Any chance you could lock her out of those training programs? Just for a little while for a break?"

Yuuno shook his head. "Unfortunately, Raising Heart would only allow something like that to happen if those orders came from its Master. We'd have to convince Nanoha to not overextend herself personally."

Oswald noticed a hint of resignation in his voice. "I take it you've tried?"

"I've cautioned against around-the-clock training and told her to give it a rest every now and then, but she seems pretty determined to get stronger no matter what. I think a part of her doesn't want to get caught flat-footed in case a more powerful Jewel Seed pops up and you're not around to help out."

"Doesn't mean a thing if she's too exhausted to deal with one if it shows up out of nowhere," Oswald replied with a sigh. "I'll talk to her whenever she wakes up again."

Yuuno looked at him for a moment, trying to judge whether or not he should voice a concern that had been building in his mind for a while. Finally, he decided to go for it. "...I think she's also worried about you."

"What?"

Seeing he had Oswald's attention, Yuuno continued. "You're strong. I can say that without a shadow of a doubt. You're probably more than capable of fighting any Jewel Seed monster we meet and win, or at least hold your own until she can get there to seal it. But remember that Nanoha's a nine-year-old girl, even if she's mature for her age, and she's probably worried about what might happen to you on a hunt."

"What brought this on?"

"Three days ago, the Jewel Seed after we got the dog. Do you remember that?"

* * *

><p><em>Oswald growled in annoyance at the Jewel Seed monster he was facing down today. This one took the form of, of all things, a stone and metal dragon, the blue gem right in the center of its chest. While he doubted it could breath fire, those claws and teeth were still very much weapons, as it proved when it tried to snap his head off. He quickly rolled out of the way, its head smashing the pavement he was standing in just a moment before.<em>

"Yuuno! Where's Nanoha?!"

"She's coming as quickly as she can! Just hold out for a little bit longer!"

_Oswald scowled. The dragon was probably some sort of statue that came to life when the Seed activated, but it seemed to be literally alive, moving and twisting in ways that something of stone shouldn't be able to, especially not as fast as it could. Even worse, it didn't seem to feel pain, despite having lost several of its claws to his blade and several long slashes along its serpentine body._

_The beast hissed in annoyance as it tried to attack him again, using its injured arm that was missing three fingers. He jumped over its swipe, swinging his blade down on the limb hard. With a mighty crack it broke under his strike, but he didn't have time to revel in his victory before he felt the dragon's stone head smash against his chest, sending him flying. He came to a rest after a few rolls along the pavement, but he held on to Belderiver through it all despite getting the breath knocked out of him and feeling like he might have broken a rib or two._

_"Uncle!" he heard Nanoha call. Looking up, he saw her with Yuuno and Raising Heart already transformed some ways behind the stone dragon. However, his attention was immediately distracted by the dragon's roar as it came charging at him, jaws wide._

_Without thinking, he got to his feet and jumped as hard as his legs could let him. Luckily for him, the dragon had lowered its head in its charge to better grab him, allowing him to clear it with ease.  
><em>

_However, he didn't avoid the stone tail whipping upwards and smashing him in the chest far harder than the head had. That time, he definitely felt his ribs break. He was barely aware of the fact he went crashing into the ground and rolled (save when he hit his ribs against the ground, then it just sent more agony through him) at least half a dozen times before stopping._

_"NO!"_

_He was aware, however, of the shout that came from Nanoha, right before what sounded like a massive charge and expulsion of energy came from her direction and an explosion of pink light combined with the roar of the dragon._

_He must have blacked out for a little bit, because he was aware of the feeling of waking up on his back to a blue sky, pain still around his chest area, though much less than before. He was also aware of what looked like a green glow around at the lower extremities of his vision and what sounded like sobbing, a girl's sobbing to be precise._

_"Na...noha?" he managed to get out._

_The sobbing stopped and the girl, minus her white jacket, came into his vision. She had definitely been crying, tear marks all over her face and eyes still red from the expulsion of tears. "Uncle?" she asked him, the sobs still obvious in her voice. "A-Are you alright?"_

_He coughed, feeling a lance of pain through his chest. "N-Never better..." he whispered, the best he could do without aggravating his injury further. "Where's...Yuuno?"_

_"Right here," the ferret said, his head suddenly appearing on the other side of Oswald's vision. "Don't speak too much. I'm using my healing magic to mend your ribs, but it's slow going: I still need more time before my own strength's back in full, and I can't do much in this state."_

_"D-Don't worry about that," he replied. "Just hand me my sword..."_

_"What?" Yuuno asked, but Nanoha was already moving, pressing the sword into its master's grip. "What do you need that for?"_

_"Just...watch..."_

_With that, he concentrated, drawing upon the magic stored within the blade. Once he had it, he mentally commanded one word: 'Heal.'_

_With a flash of red light Belderiver complied, and Oswald instantly felt its magic work, knitting his bones back together and healing over his scraps and bruises that Yuuno hadn't gotten to. He heard a gasp from both Nanoha and Yuuno, but he ignored them and concentrated on healing. After a minute or so, he felt well enough to cut the magic flow._

_"Help me up, Nanoha," he told the girl. She looked like she was about to argue, say something about how he wasn't ready, but she complied after a moment, taking his hand and providing a support for him to get to his knees._

_"How...?" Yuuno asked._

_"I told you, Belderiver's magic is suited for the battlefield," Oswald replied simply and slowly, wincing slightly at the pain still in his chest area. "That includes healing spells to keep on fighting."_

_"Are you sure you're alright?" Nanoha asked him again, her eyes filled with worry and more unshed tears._

_"I'll live," he replied slowly. "What happened to the Jewel Seed?"_

_"Umm..."_

_At Yuuno's hesitation, Oswald looked over to where he last saw the dragon. All that was left was some small pieces of stone and metal, practically pulverized._

_Raising Heart, back in its gem form, suddenly chimed. **[Master released a massive outpouring of mana upon seeing you tossed aside,] **it intoned. **[I was able to take the energy and convert into a bombardment/sealing spell that destroyed the statue and sealed the Seed at the same time.]**_

_"...Thank you, Raising Heart."_

**_[You're welcome.]_**

_He looked back over at Nanoha, giving her a scrutinizing glance. "Are _you_ alright?" he asked in turn._

_"I...I'm fine," Nanoha answered slowly, though he could tell from her slightly trembling frame that wasn't the case._

_"Nanoha," he told her simply and seriously. "Be honest with me, please."_

_The shaking intensified. "I just...when you got hit...and you looked like you were..." she didn't finish, a brief sob escaping her mouth._

_He sighed, then held out his hands in an obvious gesture. Nanoha needed no prompting, practically glomping him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Oswald grunted slightly at his still sore ribs responded to the pressure, but he ignored it, returning the hug._

_"I'm alright," he told her softly. "And I'm not going anywhere. Believe that."_

* * *

><p>Oswald grimaced. Not one of his best showings. "Let me guess: Her training's only intensified since then."<p>

Yuuno just nodded. "She also really didn't want me to tell you about it. I guess she didn't want to make you worry."

"I see that you don't think the same."

He nodded again. "I know where she's coming from, but it's doesn't mean anything if she ends up hurting herself in the process." He sighed wearily. "Good luck trying to convince _her _that though."

Oswald sighed. "...Well, I guess I'll just have to try extra hard, huh?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Next Day<strong>_

"Nanoha, it's time to get up."

There was a grunt of what might have 'yes' from the figure huddled under the pink sheets, but it was just as likely 'go away'. Oswald sighed to himself at the sight, then tried again.

"Nanoha, you need to get up," he said in a stronger tone, punctuating his words with a shake of her sleeping form.

"Mmmm..." came the louder, but no less coherent response. Oswald just rolled his eyes as he prepared to move on to Plan B, with Yuuno, perched on his shoulder like some sort of furry parrot, watched with some confusion.

"Is she usually like this?" he whispered.

"Sometimes. Her mother taught me a surefire way to wake her up though," Oswald replied before lifting the object, a tape recorder, he had made sure to bring inside with him. "Last chance, Nanoha."

"Idon'twanna..." came the jumbled reply.

"Then you leave me no choice," he answered solemnly, then pressed the 'play' button.

**_'KA-BOOO00M!'_**

Nanoha's eyes snapped open as she started flailing, her sheets constricting around her as she tried to get her bearings.

"Kyaah!" she screamed, "Whowhatwheretheheckisthat-"

Her long string of confused words ended abruptly when she fell out of her bed with her covers. Both of the males in the room just watched silently as she struggled to free herself, waiting patiently until her head poked out of her bedding, eyes still crusty with sleep and mid-length hair awry as she blinked in their general direction.

"U-Uncle?" she murmured once the blurry vision in front of her solidified. "W-What are you doing *yawn* in here so early? It's...morning, isn't it?"

"Noon, actually," he replied. "Your mother told me to wake you up. Something about meeting your friends for a...soccer-thing with your dad?"

Nanoha just stared at him blankly as her still drowsy mind tried to pull up whatever he was talking about. Her dad's soccer...

Her eyes snapped open. Her dad's soccer team's celebration party! It was today!

"Oh no!" she yelled as she quickly forced her way out of the blankets, throwing off her pajama shirt the moment she was free and moving on to her pants before-

"Um, Nanoha?"

She stopped, then looked behind her at a stone-faced Oswald and a very red-faced and gaping Yuuno. It took her a second to realize that she was currently half-undressed, and she quickly ducked down behind her bed the moment that realization made it through.

"U-U-Uncle, Y-Yuuno-kun?! What are you two still doing in here?!"

"I'll be waiting downstairs," Oswald flatly said, turning on his heel to leave. "Be sure to grab something to eat before we go though," he added as he shut the door, leaving a stuttering, fully embarrassed girl behind.

Walking down the stairs, Oswald felt Yuuno stir from his hormone-induced coma, the talking ferret turning his head to look at him.

"That...that was-"

"...the very reason I don't like waking her up for important deadlines," he finished before the ferret could get any further. A small chuckle, however, ruined the serious face he was still wearing. "Though it's kind of funny, in its own way."

Despite himself, the ferret couldn't help but let out his own chuckle.

* * *

><p>"Hey Nanoha, please pass me that napkin, would you?" A certain outspoken heiress asked as she looked down at where she had dropped some of her muffin by accident. "I don't want flies to come here."<p>

"Oh, sure Alisa," Nanoha replied, quickly leaning over to give up her spare to her friend.

"Something wrong?" Alisa asked before taking it, noticing she seemed to be distracted. "You seem to be looking at Moriyama-kun a little too much recently..."

"N-Nothing!" Nanoha quickly answered. "I just...thought I saw something weird..."

"Well, make sure your ferret friend doesn't eat your dessert while you're at it," Suzuka told her as Yuuno looked over at Nanoha's iced cake with desire in his eyes. "I think he's gonna go for it."

"Oh Suzuka, Yuuno wouldn't do that-Yuuno, stop that! Put it down!"

_"Ow!"_ said ferret yelped mentally as Nanoha applied a slap to his head, forcing him to put down his recently acquired bit of cake, then projected his thoughts ruefully to the only person who might be sympathetic to his plight._ "I can't help it, this all looks so tasty!"_

_"Then maybe you should beg for some, huh?" _Oswald responded dryly. _"You've got the looks, just use them."_

_"Oh, you're hilarious. Like I'd stoop so low as to..."_

Yuuno found Suzuka right in front of him, holding out a piece of her own cake to him. "You want some?"

'...Oh heck with it,' Yuuno decided. 'Oswald can think what he wants!'

The white-haired man in question watched with amusement as the small group of friends chatted and laughed as good friends should, the little ferret willing accepting their offerings, then turned his attention to the other people around them. They were all currently in front of the Takamachi-owned cafe, where Nanoha's father, Shirō Takamachi, had decided to bring his entire soccer team over to in celebration for their most recent victory. The boys all laughed and chatted amicably with each other, their spirits of cooperation and camaraderie soaring as high as some of their sugar highs.

Oswald himself was not among them though, simply standing against the window inside the cafe watching the girls. It wasn't in his nature to usually socialize with those far younger than him, so he was content to simply stand their and drink in the feelings of teamwork and joy of the others.

'At least Shirō isn't coming around asking what's up-'

"Oswald, aren't you gonna eat something?"

'Speak of the devil.'

He turned his head towards Shirō Takamachi himself, who was holding a plate of chocolate cake in his hands out towards him, a grin on his face. "I know you don't like parties much, but c'mon, live a little."

Oswald slowly took the plate, staring at the cake for a moment before taking his fork and sampling a piece, chewing thoughtfully.

"Well?"

"...Quite good, Takamachi-san," he replied with a nod. "Again, your skills do you justice."

"Drop the -san bit, friend," the brown-haired man replied. "There's no need to use that around me."

Oswald humphed. "I suppose not." A moment of silence, then he turned towards the man to whom he owed so much. "Something on your mind?"

Shirō scratched the back of his neck. "What makes you say that?" he asked innocently.

"That darn innocent tone, for one," Oswald answered. "You don't use that unless you're deliberately trying to get my attention."

"That's a little vague, don't ya think?"

"You're also still here," he continued. "If you really didn't want to ask me something, you would have left before I asked you if something was on your mind. That's why I gave you that moment of silence in the first place."

Shirō sighed. "Can't get nothing by you, can I?" he asked almost rhetorically, then looked up. "It's nothing major, it's just..."

"Just?"

"...I've noticed you've been spending a lot of time away from the house recently."

"That's weird?"

"Not normally. You do often disappear whenever you want. But you've been doing it far more frequently over the past week or so, always with that briefcase of yours."

"Maybe I just like carrying it around," Oswald said with a straight face. "I just have some stuff that I like to keep with me."

"That why you went shopping for a backpack recently?" Shirō asked with an almost identical expression. "So it doesn't look like you're carrying a bomb everywhere?"

"...Maybe."

Silence for a little longer. Shirō followed Oswald's gaze to see his daughter and her friends playing with that ferret she had taken as a pet. They both watched as Nanoha held out her hand towards it and as the mammal placed his own paw on it, to the delight of both Alisa and Suzuka.

"That ferret's a clever little guy, isn't he?" Shirō asked after the display.

"You'd be surprised," Oswald answered. "Sometimes, I think he's far smarter than even myself."

Shirō nodded. "It's kind of funny though."

"What is?"

"That not only did that ferret arrive around the exact same time you started leaving the house more and more, but also around the time Nanoha started acting...strange."

Oswald resisted the urge to stiffen. "Strange?" he asked casually. "How?"

Shirō's face grew thoughtful. "Nothing really shocking...but I've noticed how she seems a lot more stressed than usual. She gets distracted, even a little jittery if Momoko or myself start to question her specifically about where's she's been, and she looks so tired these nowadays."

Oswald nodded. "She did wake up late today," he admitted, but then added, "but I'm sure it's nothing to really worry about."

"Maybe..." Shirō replied, but his tone and body language said otherwise.

"...You're worried about her, aren't you?"

"What father wouldn't be?" Shirō asked back, then turned his gaze upon him. "However, I'm worried about _both_ of you. There's a difference."

Oswald turned his meet his eyes. "Beg pardon?"

Shirō rolled his eyes. "Don't play with me, Oswald. I know how close Nanoha is to you, and when you both start acting strange at roughly the same time, it's hard not to notice."

"Has Nanoha said anything?"

"She doesn't have to. Call it a parent's senses."

"Does Momoko 'sense' what's wrong?"

Shirō shook his head. "No, bless her heart, but I won't be surprised if she eventually catches wind."

Oswald didn't have an excuse for that. He thought about bluffing, but such tactics weren't really his strong suit anyways. He never bluffed, he told the truth like it was or bent it just a little bit.

"...Do you trust me, Shirō?" he finally asked at length.

Shirō looked at him, confused by his words. "What?"

"Do you trust me?" he asked again, with the emphasis on 'trust'.

Shirō was silent. Did he truly trust Oswald? Ever since that day when he first met the white-haired man four years ago, he had proved to be an enigma of sorts, never speaking about his past save the barest details (like he was married, he knew how to use a sword, he didn't know how to work a phone, and he had never once had sex). He was gloomy and anti-social, having taken a long time to forge connections with any of the family, much less outsiders.

He was a mystery in the strongest sense of the word, and can you truly trust someone whom you know so little about?

At the same time though, Oswald was a polite and kind man who had never once harbored ill will towards Shirō's family, and Shirō knew well the bond he had formed with Nanoha over all else. He knew the white-haired man would never let harm come to her as long as he was able to protect her.

And it was the knowledge of that simple fact that motivated Shirō's answer.

"Yes, I do."

"Then trust me when I say that no harm will come to Nanoha and that she'll be fine," he replied.

"Are you at least gonna tell me what's been going on?"

"That is for Nanoha to say, not me," Oswald replied after a moment of silence. "If she decides to tell you, then it must be her, not me."

To be perfectly honest, he _could _say what was happening, but he also understood this was something Nanoha would have to say and confront herself. She was the one risking so much to help Yuuno and the people of the city, far more than he was at least, and it was only right she should be allowed to decided the when, how, and why on the day of coming clean.

Shirō sighed. "...So that's your final say, huh?"

"I'm honestly surprised you're taking it so well as is," Oswald answered. "I would have expected you to start demanding answers by now."

To be perfectly honest, a large part of Shirō actually did want to do just that. However, he knew that Oswald could be as stubborn as any five-year old who refused to let go of a grudge, so he doubted he would get answers from that angle. "Well, like I said, I trust you, and if you say that she'll be fine, I'm inclined to believe you'll make sure of that yourself."

"I would sooner die than fail," Oswald said without a hint of sarcasm.

Shirō rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Again, I love that dedication you've got going on, but don't let it come to that if possible, alright? I don't need Nanoha bawling over your bandaged ass in a hospital bed."

Oswald grunted. "I'll keep that in mind."

A moment of silence. Finally, Shirō looked down at Oswald's still unfinished cake, left untouched since the first bite.

"You gonna eat that or do I need to take it back?"

Oswald sighed, but let him have the slice. He wasn't that hungry anyways.

* * *

><p>Oswald sighed to himself as he strolled through Uminari City Park, his attention on the people either relaxing in the afternoon sun or playing in it, be they families or friends. After leaving the others at the cafe, he had chosen to take a small tour through town just to calm his nerves, a backpack slung over his shoulder containing his Psypher sword just in case he needed it. As he told Shirō, he had forgone the suitcase after deciding it was far too 'shifty' to carry around everywhere and had spent the money to buy a big and durable enough backpack to contain the weapon.<p>

But right now, despite his insurance to the contrary, he was hoping today would be a day of peace. Right now, he just wanted a moment to gather his thoughts, specifically on how he was gonna broach the subject of Nanoha's training regimens.

He had intended to broach the subject via telepathic communication using Yuuno as the medium to Nanoha, but the ferret had not once left the grip of the girls during the cafe trip and he had been unable to get the darn rodent's attention from his position inside the cafe. He had considered going out there towards them himself, but by the time he was done with his conversation with Shirō and moved to do so, Nanoha had already excused herself and left with Yuuno.

"She said she was going home," Alisa had told him when he made it out and asked. "Something about feeling tired."

Of course, there had been nothing to stop him from going after her and having the conversation on the way back in person, but he had ultimately decided against it. If she was truly feeling tired, it could make an already uncomfortable subject even harder to fully broach. Better that she was refreshed and fully aware when he finally decided to drop the question on her.

He sighed to himself. 'Or could it be I'm just stalling?'

After all, it wasn't a subject he wanted to deal with it. Attempting to convince something to stop overworking themselves, especially when you yourself was the cause of the overwork in the first place, was dirty business. It often resulted in the overworked party staunchly defending their actions as precautions against the worst while you tried to convince them that it was only doing more harm than good. And there was always a good chance that you could screw up and leave the person even more resolute in training.

It was something Oswald wasn't looking forward to in any sense of the word, but he also he it would have to be nipped in the bud before it got out of hand. If Nanoha kept on going, she could very well end up too exhausted to properly fight when she had to get another Jewel Seed.

'Stop worrying,' he chided himself, adjusting his backpack strap as if the action would distract him from those dark thoughts. 'I've got the rest of the day to tell her. I can even do it when I get back to the house, if it comes to it.'

"Hey, Oswald-san!"

The sound of a familiar, soft-spoken, Kansai dialect-heavy voice broke Oswald out of his inner debating, stopping him mid-stride. Turning to the source, he was greeted to the sight of none other than Hayate herself, wheelchair bound as always, but it was the one behind her pushing the chair that held his attention though. The person in question was a female who appeared to be in her late teens, with long wavy black hair and blue eyes, dressed casually in a white t-shirt and jeans.

Their eyes locked for a moment, and Oswald couldn't help but feel a strange sense of unease, as if the woman in front of him wasn't all she appeared to be. He didn't understand why he felt that way, but his eyes narrowed almost subconsciously at the feeling.

The woman, for her part, appeared to be able to sense his inner thoughts or had similar ones herself, because her own eyes widened before narrowing slightly as well.

Regardless of the growing sense of tension though, both of them were smart enough not to do something stupid in the middle of public, and so the little staring contest between her current helper and her friend went largely unnoticed by Hayate. "I didn't think I'd see you out and about today, Oswald-san. What are you doing?"

The sudden interruption broke the stalemate. Turning his eyes onto the girl, Oswald gave her a wry smile. "Just taking some to see the sights and think to myself. It's a beautiful day after all." He turned his attention to the clear blue sky to emphasize his words. "Days like this aren't meant to be spent indoors, as they say: Not a cloud in the sky, a light breeze and the temperature's just right."

Hayate nodded and smiled. "Yeah, it really is nice out today. That's why I told Aria I wanted to go outside also."

Oswald nodded, then turned his head to look black-haired woman, the mentioned Aria he assumed.

"I don't think I've had the pleasure, Miss Aria, I presume?"

Hayate blinked, then shook her head. "Oh, right! Oswald, this is Aria Liese," she introduced the woman pushing her. "She's one of my guardian's helpers, and she sometimes stops by in town to check on me." Turning around to face the now-named caretaker, Hayate then gestured to the white-haired man. "Aria, this is Oswald Edgarson, the one I was telling you about earlier. He's a good friend of mine who's been helping me out with my shopping trips since oji-san left."

"Is he now?" Aria replied, glancing between them both before putting on a smile and holding out her hand in greeting. "Well, I suppose I should say hello as well, Mr. Edgarson." Her tone was respectful and cordial, her eyes hiding their previous feelings of distrust. "Hayate has told me many things about you."

"A pleasure, Ms. Liese," he answered in a similar tone, accepting the offered hand. "Although I pray she hasn't told you _everything_. I barely know anything about you myself after all."

Aria blinked. "Really?" She looked down at her charge, an expression of mock hurt on her face that was reflected in her words. "Hayate, you've never bothered to tell this young man about my sister or myself? How cruel of you! What have we done to deserve this?"

Hayate chuckled nervously. "Uh, sorry...I guess it kind of slipped my mind..." she muttered to herself, then shook her head and looked at Oswald. "Oh, since you're already here, Oswald-san, you want to hang out? Do some catching up?"

Oswald shrugged. "I don't see why not. Any objections, Ms. Liese?"

"None, Mr. Edgarson," she replied. "Please, join us."

The three of them walked (well, the older persons did, Hayate had to be rolled along) along for awhile, chatting admirably with each other despite the previous tension. Oswald told them about his recent days of being out of the house, stating that he had decided to start getting out more, while Aria and Hayate told him about the former's sister and fellow helper, Lotte Liese.

"I like her," Hayate stated. "She's always so funny and playful."

"She's playful alright," Aria added with a sigh, "Playful enough to leave me with most of the paperwork while she's out goofing off. I'm surprised she can ever get anything done on time."

"I take it she didn't come here with you?" Oswald asked. "From the sound of it, she should be the one out here with us, away from work and goofing off."

"Oh, she would have been," Aria told him with a slight smirk, "if she hadn't abandoned her post two weeks ago to get hammered in a bar and come in the next day drunk. Then she picked a fight with one of her co-workers and broke some expensive equipment in the chaos. She's doing overtime to make up for it: Staying in late at work and no weekend breaks for her for the next three months."

"Tough luck, huh?"

She nodded. "Though I swear, if our boss wasn't also our father, she would have been in for far worse."

Oswald blinked. "Your boss is your father?"

She nodded. "Why else would anyone put up with her antics? She's hyperactive, joking, fight-ready, quick to anger, and can get insufferably annoying."

"Just like you on a bad day, Aria-san," Hayate joked.

"Don't push it, squirt," Aria told her. "Yet when you're family, you can see past all those flaws. My sister and I have been working for our father, Gil Graham, for years, and he's always looked out for and given us more chances despite our screw-ups."

"He sounds like a good man," Oswald noted. "I'd like to meet him someday."

"I think you two would get along just fine," Aria replied. "I'll be sure to pass along the offer."

"Thank you" He looked over at Hayate. "But if she's your guardian's daughter, then that would make you-"

"Their little cousin," Hayate finished with a smile. "And even though we're not really related by blood, I still like to think we're family."

"And we think the same of you, Hayate," Aria told her. "Father most of all."

Oswald couldn't help but allow a smile to appear at the sight of Hayate's beaming face. She seemed to really enjoy Arisa's company, and he didn't doubt that she loved the two absent members as well. She certainly looked truly happy right then and there.

Still, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness in his heart at the sight, remembering he once thought similarly to her before it all came crashing down around him. A memory of his old life sprung up unbidden to the fore of his mind: An image of the man he called father, who had watched over him as he trained, fought and grew into adulthood.

_"You were nothing but a tool for my conquest."_

'Stop it,' he chided himself. 'That hasn't happened to her and you know it. Stop thinking like that.'

And he did, though not because of his thoughts. Rather it was the sudden tremor in the earth that came out of nowhere, nearly knocking him and Arisa off balance.

"W-What is this?!" Hayate yelled out.

"E-Earthquake?" Aria asked as the rumbling seemed to increase. "When did those happen around here?!"

"First time for me and no clue," Oswald replied, though he had a hunch. At the corners of his senses he could feel a sudden outburst of mana, and his eyes instinctively moved towards where he could sense the power building, hand moving to grip the backpack's straps. "Ms. Liese, please take Hayate somewhere safe!"

"Wait, where are you going?" she asked him, but Oswald was already running away. "Hey, come back!"

'This is bad,' he thought to himself as he raced past several confused and panicking citizens, 'If I can sense the power from this far away, this Seed has to be a cut above the other ones so far. I've got to hurry before more people get hurt.' He looked in briefly in the general direction of the Takamachi household. 'Nanoha, please tell me you felt that!'

* * *

><p>Nanoha did indeed feel the Jewel Seed's activation, almost like a lightning bolt shooting straight through her nerves. She shot up from her place on the bed still in her outside clothes, having not even bothered to take them off upon arriving back at home.<p>

_"Yuuno-kun, that was-"_

_"I know," _the ferret replied, jumping onto her shoulder. _"We have to go, now!"_

Making sure she still had Raising Heart on her person, which she did, Nanoha quickly bounded out of her room towards the front door, stopping only long enough to shout, "Dad, I have something important to take of! I'm leaving now!"

She barely paused enough to hear her father's affirmative before she raced outside, immediately bringing out Raising Heart as she ran.

"Raising Heart, set up!"

**[Stand by. Ready.]**

In a pink flash, Nanoha was once more clad in her Barrier Jacket and with Raising Heart's staff form held comfortably in her left hand. "Hold on, Yuuno!" she suddenly shouted.

"Wha-?" was all the ferret managed to get out before Nanoha pushed off the ground with a mighty heave like she was jumping. To his surprise though, mana seemed to condense around her ankles to suddenly form pink wing-like extensions, and with a gasp he realized that not only were they not falling, but actually going even higher into the air, quickly passing the roofs of several two-story buildings and only climbing higher!

"You've already figured out the flying function?" Yuuno asked before a grin spread across his face. "Impressive! Less than a week and you've already gotten that far?"

"Yup!" Nanoha replied, unable to keep the joy out of her voice despite the seriousness of the situation. "Raising Heart's been helping me with some simulations, but this is the first time I've practiced it for real!"

As if waiting for those words, the pair suddenly dropped several feet.

"GAH!" Yuuno screamed, "Nanoha, be careful!"

"D-Don't worry. I-I've got this!" Nanoha stammered before they went back to their original height. "Sorry about that...I studied the workings and theory behind flying, but I guess it's entirely different from actually doing it..."

"Th-That mishap aside, it's still unbelievable," Yuuno muttered as they started flying towards where they could sense the mana buildup, "Most who study magic don't progress this far in a simple week."

"Well, I had a good teacher," Nanoha replied, then looked down at her staff. "Isn't that right, Raising Heart?"

**[Yes Master. Thank you.]**

Yuuno looked at her with no small amount of conflicted emotion. While a large part of him was indeed legitimately impressed with her progress and potential, there was that other part of himself that remembered his conversation with Oswald. "Still, you shouldn't push yourself too far, Nanoha," he decided to caution her. "It's no good if you-"

"We've been over this before Yuuno," Nanoha interrupted him, her eyes forward as they flew onward. "I need to get stronger as fast as possible. Some lost sleep is worth it in the long run if it means I can protect everyone better."

"...Are you sure that Oswald agrees with that idea?" Yuuno asked her slowly. He tried to keep the guilty tone out of his voice, but he didn't have much success at it. "Don't you think he doesn't want to see you get hurt because you overexerted yourself training and had a breakdown mid-battle?"

Suddenly, Nanoha came to a stop mid-flight, looking back at him with confused look. "Wait...what do you mean by that?" she asked him, right before her eyes narrowed. "Does oji-san know about it? Did you tell him?"

Yuuno kicked himself mentally when he heard her almost panicked tone. 'Note to self: Don't bring up stuff like this in the middle of a combat-zone!' "That's not important right now!"

"Yuuno!" Nanoha continued in an almost betrayed tone. "I told you not to tell oji-san about that! Why would you-"

"He was worried about you, Nanoha!" he snapped back. "What was I supposed to do, lie? He has a right to know what you've been doing!"

Nanoha looked like she was about to argue, but then seemed to realize the truth of his words and looked away. Yuuno felt his heart sink at the sight, but he knew they couldn't worry about that right now.

"Just...just forget it right now," he finally told her softly. "We need to hurry up and find Oswald. He's probably already trying to deal with this himself, and he'll need help."

She gave him another cautious look and didn't say anything, but she nodded before moving again, without warning and twice as fast. Yuuno quickly tightened his grip on her shoulder as she took off, grimacing as he did so.

'Oswald, we really need to talk to her about this before today's over,' he thought to himself. 'The sooner the better.'

* * *

><p>Unbeknownst to the pair though, another set of eyes was watching them from a building some ways away.<p>

"Hmm, didn't think there'd be other Mages already on the planet," the figure commented seemingly to herself, for it was indeed a female. However, her form was currently wrapped in a dark cloak with a hood pulled over her head which obscured her features, though the faintest hints of blond hair could be seen from within it, along with just a flash of purple eyes.

"...She doesn't look like much honestly, but they've probably already gotten a couple of the Seeds already. Then again, guess I should have figured this mission wouldn't be a cakewalk."

She turned her attention to where the pair was seemingly headed towards.

"Still, I was lucky to get here before Fate did," she told herself. "From the feeling of this reaction, this Seed might have been a bit too much for her to handle on her own. Wonder if this kid knows that though."

A pause as she noticed what almost look like roots start to form the epicenter of the mana outburst, rushing outwards to upturn streets and smash into buildings. Even from where she was, she could hear the sound of sirens and panic in the streets.

"Ah well, I best get to work. No use in letting them take any more Seeds from us. Precia and Father'll get angry if I do."

A jingle of metal sounded as something passed out of the sleeves of her cloak, revealing a strange-looking Device. It looked almost like a sort of black chain, tipped at either end with solid metal cylinders, which in turn were tipped with glowing red crystals shaped like blades. Despite the archaic appearance, it seemed to radiate power, specifically from the crystals.

"Graveryl, pierce."

**[Acknowledged.]**

* * *

><p><strong>Oh boy, finally comes the part where I introduce some more changes into canon. Yeah, Team Testarossa has other players on its side. Anyone familiar with Odin Sphere should be able to figure out who this character is (or rather, who she's based off of) and if so, who the 'Father' figure she mentions is as well.<strong>

**Hope I left you guys something to look forward to in the next chapter! Happy Holidays, and in case there's no new material ready by then, Happy New Year!**


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